Jaylen Brown had zero 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 layup. Brown took exception and had some choice words for the Bucks star as the two walked 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 but then pulling it away at the last second with a mischievous grin.
A generous interpretation of this exchange is that Giannis was trying to lighten the mood with some 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 child,” 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 hard foul on the Bucks superstar in the fourth quarter. But maturity won out Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee, as the Celtics rallied from a 17-point deficit to secure a 113-107 win 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 has no plans to change how he approaches the game.
“Obviously, it’s a joke,” Antetokounmpo said. “We’re playing basketball, but at the same time, you gotta have fun while playing. … We always joke around within the flow of the game. It’s something I do with my kids. I play around.
“… This is who I am. I play the game with fun, 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, causing Tatum to tweak his ankle. No foul was called on the play, which Joe Mazzulla called “ridiculous” after the game.
Antetokounmpo stuffed the stat sheet with a season-high 43 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two blocks, but Brown and the Celtics got the last laugh — or lack thereof — as Milwaukee’s early-season struggles continue.
Check out Brown’s full postgame comments below.