Jaylen Brown Shares His Serious Reaction to Giannis’ Fake Handshake originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Jaylen Brown had no patience for Giannis Antetokounmpo on Sunday.
In the second quarter of the Boston Celtics game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum, Antetokounmpo hit Brown with an elbow to the face while attempting a lay-up. Brown objected and had some choice words for the Bucks star as the two headed to the other end of the court.
That’s when Antetokounmpo channeled his inner middle schooler, extending his hand toward Brown to give him a high five, then pulling it back at the last second with a mischievous smile.
A generous interpretation of this exchange is that Giannis was trying to lighten the mood with innocent fun. But Brown was not in a generous mood.
When asked about the incident after the game, the Celtics star didn’t seem particularly amused.
“Giannis is a kid,” Brown told reporters, as seen in the video player above. “I’m just focused on helping my team get a win, and that’s what we did tonight.”
Brown clearly bristled at Antetokounmpo’s antics, which may have motivated his serious foul on the Bucks superstar in the fourth quarter. But maturity prevailed Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee, as the Celtics went from a 17-point deficit to secure a 113-107 victory that improved them to 9-2 and dropped the Bucks to 2-8.
Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, seemed genuinely surprised by Brown’s reaction and said he had no plans to change the way he approached the game.
“Obviously it’s a joke,” Antetokounmpo said. “We play basketball, but at the same time, you have to have fun playing. … We’re always joking in the flow of the game. It’s something I do with my kids. I play.
“…This is who I am. I play the game with pleasure and joy.”
Antetokounmpo also drew the ire of Boston’s head coach and star player when he closed out aggressively on Jayson Tatum’s jump shot in the fourth quarter, which caused Tatum to twist his ankle. No foul was called on the play, which Joe Mazzulla called “ridiculous” after the match.
Antetokounmpo stuffed the stat sheet with a game-high 43 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two blocks, but Brown and the Celtics had the last laugh — or lack thereof — as Milwaukee struggled at the start of the season continue.
Check out Brown’s full postgame comments below.
