Things got a little heated in the Milwaukee Bucks‘ 112-103 road win over the Chicago Bulls.
Giannis Antetokounmpo ran the break to get a wide-open windmill dunk as the clock ran out, and the game was already out of reach.
Bulls players didn’t appreciate it and rushed to call him out for breaking the unwritten rules of the game.
When asked about that, however, Giannis was unapologetic. If anything, he expects that dunk to spark a fire within a Bucks team that has underperformed all year long.
Giannis Antetokounmpo still believes in the Bucks
“We’re 11th in the East,” Giannis said, per ESPN’s Jamal Collier. “Got to keep finding an identity. If that’s to get a little bit scrappy at the end, so be it. We’re not the champs. Why should we play the clock out, have respect and fair play? We’re fighting for our lives right now.”
The former Finals MVP, who’s been tangled up in trade rumors for months now, took it upon himself to be a catalyst for his team.
“I’ve been 13 years in the league,” Giannis continued. “If we keep on losing, probably half of the team not going to be here. We’re not going to make the playoffs. And if [a windmill dunk] is what has to happen for everybody to wake up and understand we’re fighting for our lives, so be it.”
Doc Rivers’ team is 13-19 after going through a major roster overhaul in the offseason. They’re eleventh in the East and out of the playoffs.
Giannis is admittedly mulling his future with the team, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to give up on the organization or his teammates.
Now, it’ll be up to everybody else to be up to the standard and convince him that staying will be worth it.