Frustrations seemed to boil over in Milwaukee as the Bucks were trounced by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
Down by more than 30 points at halftime, fans at Fiserv Forum sent their team into the locker room with a chorus of boos.
With that memory fresh in his mind, star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo − after being fouled while making the first basket of the second half − gave the crowd a thumbs-down gesture and offered some boos of his own before he stepped to the free throw line.
‘Whenever I get booed, I boo back,’ Antetokounmpo explained to reporters after the 139-106 loss.
It was the same gesture Giannis has offered fans in opposing cities several times this season, but he said it was the first time he could ever remember being booed in his home arena.
‘When people don’t believe in me, I don’t tend to be with them. I tend to do what I’m here to do, what I’m good at. … It won’t change home or away. But yeah, I’ve never been a part of something like that before and I don’t think it’s fair,’ Antetokounmpo said.
‘I’m not going to tell them what to do and how they should act when we don’t play hard. Or when we lose games, or when we’re not where we’re supposed to be. I don’t think anybody has the right to tell me how I should act on (a) basketball court after I’ve been here 13 years. And I’m basically the all-time leader in everything.’
Antetokounmpo finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and five assists as the Bucks lost their second consecutive game, falling to 17-23 on the season.