In the first half of the Milwaukee Bucks’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, the Thunder outscored the Bucks 56-50. Giannis Antetokounmpo did his part to keep the Bucks in the game, scoring 11 points on 50 percent shooting from the field, but he clearly felt he could have done more.
When the Bucks were walking into the visiting locker room at the halftime break, Antetokounmpo used his massive size 16 sneakers to kick a hole through a Thunder sign out of frustration. Suffice to say, the sign is going to need more than tape.
Well…apparently Giannis was a little frustrated with how the first half went. He just kicked a hole in this thing in the hallway 😂. pic.twitter.com/h35Vol7Fo3
— Gabe Ikard (@GabeIkard) November 11, 2019
After the game, in which the Bucks won 121-119, Antetokounmpo expressed regret for the way he acted and offered to pay for a new sign. In a report from Maddie Lee of The Oklahoman, the Greek Freak even offered to replace it with one of Milwaukee’s signs.
“There’s no excuse for that, and obviously I’ll try to pay for the sign,” said Antetokounmpo, who finished the night with 35 points. “Or I can trade you guys for a Bucks sign when you guys come to Milwaukee. But there’s no excuse for that. Playing basketball, there’s a lot of frustration. Lot of emotion.”
His postgame comments, for one, make it clear that it was Antetokounmpo who broke the sign. For obvious reasons, the Thunder will likely decline Antetokounmpo’s Bucks sign, but they might entertain the idea of him giving the team a new one. Whatever both parties decide to do, they should make it a whole pre-game event, similar to a championship ring ceremony. Then, the broken sign could be given away to a lucky fan that makes a halfcourt shot at halftime. Just picture someone taking a picture with a broken sign as if it was a $500,000 check.
Let’s hope at least one of these ideas is utilized when the Thunder visit the Bucks on Feb. 28.
