"I Tend To Be Against Them": Giannis Antetokounmpo Gets Candid On Milwaukee Fans Who Booed Him

Giannis Antetokounmpo is used to hostile crowds trying to get on his nerves. The thing is, these crowds usually inhabit arenas outside Milwaukee. As the Bucks got humiliated by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday inside Fiserv Forum, the boos started to rain from fans who had fervently supported Antetokounmpo for years.

After the Wolves finished their 139–106 beatdown, Antetokounmpo openly admitted his surprise at receiving such a hostile reaction. “Never…I’ve never been a part of something like that before,” the two-time MVP told reporters in the locker room.

Naturally, Antetokounmpo was asked to comment on the most poignant scene of the night. Early in the third quarter, he’d lost his balance as he converted on an and-one layup. As Antetokounmpo sat on the ground, he booed the fans in attendance and gave a resounding two thumbs down. He repeated this gesture after being helped back to his feet, taunting a different section of the crowd.

What was going through his mind? Apparently, it was reciprocation. “When I get booed, I boo back. When people don’t believe in me, I don’t tend to be with them. I tend to be against them.”

Perhaps still seething at that point, the Greek Freak brought up the legacy that he has established with the Bucks: “I don’t think anybody has the right to tell me how I should act on the basketball court after I’ve been here 13 years, and I’m basically the all-time leader in everything.”

To Antetokounmpo’s point, he has led Milwaukee to nine playoff appearances and one NBA title since being drafted by the team in 2013. Still, he acknowledged that fans, too, have freedom of expression. “Everybody has the opinion to do what they want to do. I’m not gonna tell them what to do and how they should act when we don’t play hard or when we lose games.”

It appears, then, that the most straightforward solution to prevent the jeers is to win consistently. The beatdown at the hands of the Wolves marked a second straight loss for the Bucks, who have not won three consecutive games all season long. Pulling off strings of wins would give the Bucks faithful more reason to voice out their support, not to mention improve the chances of retaining one of the greatest players to ever suit up for Milwaukee.