Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo extended a handshake to Jaylen Brown after committing an offensive foul against the Boston Celtics player, but pulled his hand back at the last second.
The incident took place in the first half of the Celtics’ 113-107 win over the Bucks on Sunday, leading Brown to call Antetokounmpo “a child.” Antetokounmpo explained that he was just joking around.
The situation started after Antetokounmpo’s elbow accidentally hit Brown’s face during the second quarter, resulting in an offensive foul against Antetokounmpo.
As both players were heading back up the floor, Antetokounmpo reached out his hand toward Brown, but then pulled it back while smiling. He then tried to offer his hand again, but Brown didn’t respond, looking down instead.
The moment quickly gained attention on social media.
“Giannis is a child,” said Brown, who scored 14 points in his return after missing four games due to a hip injury. “I’m just focused on helping my team get a win, and that’s what we did tonight.”
Antetokounmpo said he didn’t mean to upset anyone.
“It’s a joke,” Antetokounmpo said after the game. “We’re playing basketball. At the same time, we’ve got to have fun when we play. I think he’s an incredible player. He does whatever he can to help his team win, an extremely competitive player.
We’ve played against one another many times. I think we’re always trying to joke around within the flow of the game. It’s something I do with my kids when we play around. Sometimes, I’m like, ‘Give me a high-five. Oh, you’re too slow.’ I just did it. I enjoyed it, though. It was fun.”
When Antetokounmpo was told about Brown’s comment after the game, he responded further.
“This is who I am,” said Antetokounmpo. “I play the game with fun, joy. I try to surround myself around young people so I can stay young myself, try to be around my kids a lot, my nieces, and sometimes I might go out there at times on the court when I play and do stuff like that, but at the end of the day, as I said, I think he’s an incredible player. He always does the right thing to help his team win. But I’m just going to continue to be me.
“At the end of the day, if I’m called a child, so be it. I have three children of my own and I think six nieces. I take care of a lot of kids around here. Sometimes when you’re around a kid, you try to act like a kid. It’s fun. It’s fun to be around them. So I just try to go out there and have fun. Again, great player, a great competitor. If I have another opportunity, I’ll do it again.”
The two players had another moment in the fourth quarter. After Antetokounmpo drove to the basket with the game tied at 95, Brown was called for a flagrant foul after making significant contact with Antetokounmpo in the air.
Antetokounmpo made both free throws, putting the Bucks ahead with 6:52 remaining. However, the Bucks didn’t score on their next possession, and the Celtics took the lead for good a minute later.
When asked if the earlier handshake incident was on his mind during the flagrant foul, Brown responded, “Nah, I was playing basketball.”
