NBA Rescinds Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Triple-Double vs. Wizards

The league stripped the Greek Freak of his final rebound.

Giannis Antetokounmpo pulled off a last-second triple-double Sunday night during the Bucks’ win over the Wizards, but after a closer look, the NBA has rescinded his final rebound.

In the waning moments of Milwaukee’s 117-111 win at Washington, Antetokounmpo was dribbling out the clock when his teammates informed him he was one rebound shy of a triple-double. In order to notch his 10th board, Giannis tossed the ball off the backboard to himself.

Although that initially was counted as his 10th rebound of the game, ESPN’s Zach Lowe indicates the league is reversing that decision and rescinding the rebound, eliminating Antetokounmpo’s triple-double.

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Per Lowe, NBA rules indicate a player must shoot the ball “with intent to score,” which the league deemed the Greek Freak did not do. 

The league has rescinded Giannis Antetokounmpo's 10th rebound last night--and thus his triple-double, sources tell ESPN. League rules say that for a field-goal attempt to count as official, the player has to shoot "with intent to score a field-goal" -- i.e. to make the shot.

— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) March 6, 2023

The ruling seems fair, considering Giannis didn’t make any effort to actually put the ball in the basket, clearly tossing it off the backboard to himself. 

While he may have thought he pulled a fast one, in the end, Antetokounmpo won’t be credited with the triple-double. 

The revised stat line will see Antetokounmpo end the game with 23 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. It would have been his fourth triple-double of the season and his third of the calendar year. His most recent triple-double came back on Feb. 4, against the Heat, during which the 28-year-old recorded 35 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists.