Antetokoumpo eventually said Smart is a great player.
Giannis Antetokoumpo has been playing like a player who deserves to be named league MVP this season. He has almost single-handedly made the Milwaukee Bucks a contender and last night, they defeated the Boston Celtics 113-101 in Game 4. With the win, the Bucks took a 3-1 lead in the series as they head back to Milwaukee for Game 5. The Greek Freak scored 39 points and 16 rebounds in the game, which allowed the Bucks to take commanding control the series.
Last night, Celtics guard Marcus Smart came back into the lineup after an injury. Smart only played 15 minutes and scored three points on 1-7 shooting. After the game, Giannis was asked about Smart’s performance and let’s just say his answer was full shade. Antetokoumpo pulled up the stat sheet, observed it for a few moments and then answered the question carefully.
“Marcus Smart is a great player,” Antetokounmpo said. “He brings a lot to the team, obviously.”
It’s unclear whether or not Giannis meant to disrespect Smart with the gesture. He could have very well been checking the stat sheet because he wanted to educate himself before making a comment out turn. Regardless, this is social media we’re talking about here so if it’s funnier to say he was making fun smart, that’s what the masses will do.
Hopefully Smart didn’t take it too personally. Giannis is a pretty nice guy when he’s not posterizing defenders with his signature dunks.