Giannis game ball fiasco marred a historic night for the Bucks 140-126 victory against Indiana Pacers, following the Milwaukee star’s franchise-record 64-point performance.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored a career-high and franchise-record 64 points, thought that the Pacers took the game ball back to their locker room area. Antetokounmpo ran back into the hallway to retrieve it after the game, which was visible on video via game broadcasts.
The Bucks wanted the game ball for Antetokounmpo. Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said the Pacers took the ball for Oscar Tshiebwe, who scored his first official NBA point.
That led to a confrontation between members of the teams in the arena hallway. Afterward, there still was confusion over who had which game ball.
Giannis Game Ball controversy spills into locker room
Antetokounmpo was angry in the moment. It appears that a Bucks staff member grabbed the game ball right as the game ended.
A few Pacers coaches, said that they had a reserve game ball as opposed to the actual ball. Indiana’s head coach Rick Carlisle explained that the team took that reserve ball because rookie center Oscar Tshiebwe scored his first NBA regular season points during the game and they wanted to give him a ball.
Carlisle said a number of the Bucks were in the hallway near the Indiana locker room and a confrontation occurred, with Indiana’s general manager getting elbowed in the ribs.
“What happened after the game was unfortunate,” Carlisle said. “There was a misunderstanding about the game ball. … We were not thinking about Giannis’ franchise record, so we grabbed the ball.
“A couple of minutes later, several of their players ended up in our hallway, and there was a big, I don’t know what to call it — a fracas, melee, whatever. I don’t think any punches were landed, but my general manager got elbowed in the ribs by one of their players. He certainly had a bruised rib and who knows if it’s anything more than that. Unfortunate situation.
Antetokounmpo claimed after the game that he knew the Pacers had the game ball. He did end up with a ball, but he isn’t sure if it’s the one that was used in the game.
“I have no idea. I’m not going to lie,” Antetokounmpo said. “I have no idea. I don’t know. I really don’t know. I have a ball, but I don’t know if it’s the game ball. It doesn’t feel like the game ball to me. It feels like a brand new ball. I can tell. I played, what, 35 minutes today. I know how the game ball felt. The ball that I have, which I’ll take and I’ll give it to my mom for sure, but I don’t know if it’s actually the game ball.”
Amidst the post game melee Giannis Antetokounmpo broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time franchise scoring record with a three-pointer. It seemed fitting he broke Michael Redd’s single-game scoring record with two textbook free throws.
The 29-year-old Bucks superstar called his shot on Monday night after the game against Chicago, saying he might have to “make something happen” against Indiana on Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum.
“I don’t think there was a specific moment that I thought that I’d score 60. I’m just trying to play the game,” Antetokounmpo said. “There was a lot of moments that I was able to take advantage of the defense and the way they were guarding me and make plays for myself and my teammates. I was able to go to the free throw line and knock a few free throws in. That’s pretty much it. I just tried to take a play at a time.”
Indiana and Milwaukee next play on January 1. The Bucks will be the hosts that night, then the two teams will again play on January 3 in Indianapolis to close out the season series.