{"id":136969,"date":"2025-04-30T00:25:29","date_gmt":"2025-04-30T04:25:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=136969"},"modified":"2025-04-30T00:25:29","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T04:25:29","slug":"bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-heated-game-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/04\/30\/bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-heated-game-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Bucks\u2019 Giannis Antetokounmpo Gets Heated After Game 5"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Milwaukee Bucks will be heading to Cancun after being eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the First Round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs in Game 5.<\/p>\n<p>Still, though the Bucks\u2019 postseason run was short, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/04\/28\/lillards-achilles-injury-bucks-future\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">it wasn\u2019t devoid of drama<\/a>. Throughout the series, Bucks guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lillada01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Damian Lillard<\/a>\u00a0and Pacers guard <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/h\/halibty01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyrese Haliburton<\/a> exchanged words and taunts. Even Pacers forward <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/s\/siakapa01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pascal Siakam<\/a>, a rather soft-spoken veteran, found himself in a heated moment.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">James Johnson is the first one off the Pacers bench \ud83d\udc40 <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/loP8MdAn4l\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/loP8MdAn4l<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Fullcourtpass\/status\/1914826591428923821?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 22, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>None of those incidents were quite like the one that happened at the end of Game 5.<\/p>\n<h2>Bucks\u2019 Giannis Antetokounmpo Gets Heated After Game 5<\/h2>\n<p>As teams gathered to exchange compliments and congratulatory messages, Bucks superstar <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/a\/antetgi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> got into it with Pacers sometimes starter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mathube01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bennedict Mathurin<\/a>. It\u2019s unclear what Antetokounmpo said. Nevertheless, Mathurin clearly took exception to his words or the way he was approached.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Giannis and Bennedict Mathurin get physical postgame \ud83d\udc40\ud83d\ude33<br \/>\n<a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/k1V93PKL3f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/k1V93PKL3f<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SleeperHoops (@Sleeper_Hoops) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Sleeper_Hoops\/status\/1917384130188435738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 30, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>There atmosphere was already charged with calamitous energy though. After the final buzzer sounded, Haliburton\u2019s father approached Antetokounmpo while he was standing near the basket, waving a towel and yelling. Antetokounmpo didn\u2019t take this lightly, and had a healthy discussion with him about it.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Tyrese Haliburton&#8217;s father was trolling Giannis after the Pacers won <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/v6PUnnQrvW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/v6PUnnQrvW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ahmed\/The Ears\/IG: BigBizTheGod \ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddf4 (@big_business_) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/big_business_\/status\/1917391427815735789?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 30, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"zxx\"><a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/SjDEKZxWFd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/SjDEKZxWFd<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 . (@dphoop2425) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dphoop2425\/status\/1917383096866885648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 30, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In his postgame presser, Antetokounmpo addressed the incident, speaking at length.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is the last time I\u2019m going to say anything. I won\u2019t talk a lot. We lost the game, it really doesn\u2019t even matter,\u201d he begins.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Giannis Antetokounmpo discussed Tyrese Haliburton\u2019s dad confronting him after Game 5:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have won a championship. They haven\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis dad came on the floor showing me his son\u2019s towel with his face saying, \u2018This is what we f****** do.\u2019 I feel like that\u2019s very disrespectful.\u201d <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/fGwfLAe0P5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/fGwfLAe0P5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeAScotto\/status\/1917413230391054720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 30, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne thing I\u2019ll say is that I believe (in) being humble in victory. That\u2019s the way I am.<\/p>\n<p>Now, there can be a lot of people out there who are like, \u2018No, when you win the game, you\u2019ve got to talk **** and it\u2019s a green light for you to be disrespectful towards somebody else. I disagree.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Humble Beginnings<\/h3>\n<p>Many people probably rolled their eyes at Antetokounmpo\u2019s soliloquy. Others probably thought it was haughtiness rather than humility. However, the Greek-born Nigerian superstar explained the way his family values have influenced his perception:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have won a championship. They haven\u2019t. Okay and that doesn\u2019t say anything. I\u2019m not trying to minimize their effort but I remember when I won, my mom \u2014she never missed the games\u2026 \u2014when we won the championship, I remember my mom was scared to cross. She was like, \u2018Am I allowed to come and hug my son?<\/p>\n<p>\u2026Except Thanasis (Antetokounmpo), you\u2019ve never seen my family like sit in courtside seats, this is not something that we do. We don\u2019t. I try to keep my family away from the game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLosing a game, emotions run high,\u201d he continues. \u201cHaving a fan, which at the moment I thought he was a fan and then I realized he was Tyrese\u2019s (dad)\u2026 which I love Tyrese, I think he\u2019s a great competitor\u2026 coming in the floor and showing me his son\u2019s towel with his face (saying):<\/p>\n<p>\u2018This is what we do. This is what we ******* do, this is what the **** we do\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n<p>I feel like that\u2019s very, very disrespectful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, my dad\u2026 my dad used to come in the family room and he was the most respectful person ever,\u201d Antetokounmpo explains.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cYou know, when you come from nothing.. you\u2019ve worked your whole life to sell stuff in the street.. your whole life you\u2019ll be scared of the police deporting you and sending you back to your country and you have to protect your kids\u2026 you create this mentality of being humble your whole life.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s how I grew up.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Mutual Respect<\/h3>\n<p>Antetokounmpo understands the way Haliburton\u2019s dad felt. He\u2019s even happy for them. He just didn\u2019t appreciate how he was being taunted in that manner, at that moment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m happy for him and I\u2019m happy for his son and I\u2019m happy that he\u2019s happy for his son. That\u2019s how you\u2019re supposed to feel. But coming to me and disrespecting me and cursing at me, I think is totally unacceptable. Totally unacceptable, okay?<\/p>\n<p>\u2026<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not respectful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI talked with him at the end and I think we\u2019re in a good place,\u201d he\u2019d conclude.<\/p>\n<p>For what it\u2019s worth, Haliburton agrees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMe and my pops have talked about that\u2019\u201d he tells reporters. \u201cI don&#8217;t agree with what transpired there from him. &#8230; I don&#8217;t think that my pops was in the right at all there.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Tyrese Haliburton on his dad postgame with Giannis: &#8220;Me and my pops have talked about that and I don&#8217;t agree with what transpired there from him. &#8230; I don&#8217;t think that my pops was in the right at all there.&#8221; <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/rnJYC1GOdt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/rnJYC1GOdt<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ScottAgness\/status\/1917426914027003947?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 30, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>All\u2019s well that ends well, right?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Milwaukee Bucks will be heading to Cancun after being eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the First Round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs in Game 5. Still, though the Bucks\u2019 postseason run was short, it wasn\u2019t devoid of drama. Throughout the series, Bucks guard Damian Lillard\u00a0and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton exchanged words and taunts. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":136977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,1608,11,62],"tags":[4303,306,596,2607],"class_list":["post-136969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bucks","category-basketball","category-pacers","category-nba","tag-bennedict-mathurin","tag-giannis-antetokounmpo","tag-nba-playoffs","tag-tyrese-haliburton"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136969"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":136978,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136969\/revisions\/136978"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}