Team USA Details Skirmish with Giannis, Thanasis Antetokounmpo After Greece Win
The United States and Greece had a brief verbal confrontation on the court following Team USA's 69-53 victory in the 2019 FIBA World Cup on Saturday.
At issue was a foul by Thanasis Antetokounmpo on Harrison Barnes in the fourth quarter. According to ESPN's Brian Windhorst, Antetokounmpo "hit him from behind and sent Barnes sprawling onto his stomach behind the basket" as Barnes was finishing a dunk.
When the game ended, Jaylen Brown confronted Giannis Antetokounmpo about the foul, and tensions escalated to the point where players from the two teams had to be separated. Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix noted Khris Middleton stepped in to play the role of peacemaker.
"Yeah, I said something to Giannis," Brown told reporters. "Well, Giannis said something to me. But we've got bigger fish to fry. So we move on."
Marcus Smart said the U.S. was upset that Thanasis Antetokounmpo didn't apologize.
To avoid further escalation, Team USA coach Gregg Popovich kept his team on the court while Greece was exiting so the teams wouldn't walk through the tunnel together, per Windhorst.
The major players in the aftermath of the dust-up have also featured in a burgeoning NBA rivalry.
The Milwaukee Bucks (with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Middleton) and Boston Celtics (with Brown and Smart) met in the postseason in each of the last two years, with Boston prevailing in the first round in 2017-18 and Milwaukee getting revenge in the second round last season.
The two teams have a shared goal of winning the Eastern Conference, and the brief argument between Brown and Giannis could add more intrigue for the Bucks and Celtics' first matchup Oct. 30 in Boston.
