Giannis Antetokounmpo Didn’t Appreciate Josh Giddey’s Hard Foul, But Refs Didn’t Seem to Mind

Josh Giddey was not called for a foul here.
Josh Giddey was not called for a foul here. / House of Highlights

The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Chicago Bulls 111-107 in NBA preseason action on Monday night. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 24 points and shot 16 free throws in just 23 minutes. Even in an exhibition game the Bulls couldn't really do anything but foul the two-time MVP.

It's no wonder that frustrations boiled over early. Giannis fell down pushing the ball up the court 1-on-3 and then posted up Josh Giddey. When Damian Lillard threw the ball over the top to Giannis three Bulls converged on him with Onuralp Bitim getting called for the foul while Josh Giddey took multiple swings at Giannis and the ball. On the second swing he pulled down both Antetokounmpo's arms and did not let go which led to Giannis giving him a shove.

Somehow the referees review the play and determined that Giddey did nothing wrong. Bitim was called for a common foul and Giannis was given a technical foul for a "physical taunt" for trying to remove the guy hitting his arms and grabbing his jersey.


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Stephen Douglas
STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas is a Senior Writer on the Breaking & Trending News Team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in journalism and media since 2008, and now casts a wide net with coverage across all sports. Stephen spent more than a decade with The Big Lead and has previously written for Uproxx and The Sporting News. He has three children, two degrees and one now unverified Twitter account.