Giannis Antetokounmpo called Jaylen Brown a “kid” after a fake handshake fiasco

CNN
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A heated exchange broke out between two of the NBA’s biggest stars on Sunday when 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown called Giannis Antetokounmpo “a kid” after the Milwaukee Bucks forward jokingly called him during the Boston Celtics’ comeback win offered a fake handshake.

The controversy began early in the second quarter when Antetokounmpo hit Brown in the face with an elbow, drawing an offensive foul.

As the two players walked back across the court, the two-time NBA MVP seemingly extended his hand to his opponent in apology, but withdrew it at the last moment and ran his hand through his hair instead.

Laughing and smiling, Antetokounmpo offered another high-five. But this time Brown shook his head and refused.

“Giannis is a kid,” Brown told NBC Sports Boston after the game. “I’m just focused on helping my team win and we did that tonight.”

The Celtics guard continued to show his frustration on the court and was called for a flagrant foul on Antetokounmpo in the fourth quarter when he challenged his opponent in the air as he drove to the basket. Brown later said the foul was unrelated to the earlier incident.

In a postgame press conference, Antetokounmpo seemed surprised that Brown had taken such offense to the gesture.

“Obviously it’s a joke,” he told reporters. “We play basketball, but at the same time you have to have fun while playing. I think he’s an incredible player. He does everything he can to help his team win. Extremely competitive player. We have played against each other many times.

“I think we always joke around during the game. This is something I do with my children. I’m playing around. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Oh, give me a high five.’ Oops, you’re too slow.’ I just did it. But I had fun. It was fun.

“If I’m called a child, so be it… If I have another opportunity, I will do it again,” he continued.

Antetokounmpo’s teammates may not want him to repeat his antics, considering what happened after Sunday’s snub. The Celtics trailed 42-32 before the fake handshake, but outscored the Bucks 81-65 after the incident to win 113-107.

Antetokounmpo was the game’s top scorer with 43 points, plus 13 rebounds and five assists.

But Brown channeled his frustration into a stellar defensive performance in his return from four games with injury, limiting Damian Lillard to 14 points on 4 of 15 shooting from the field.

Lillard has scored 20 or more points in nine of his last 11 games at Fiserv Forum. The two games in which he did not reach the mark came against the Celtics.

Jayson Tatum starred in Boston’s offense, collecting 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. The Celtics are now 9-2 on the season, a stark contrast to Milwaukee’s 2-8 record, their worst start through 10 games in more than a decade.