Inside The Spurs

Giannis Antetokounmpo Breaks Silence on Confrontation in Bucks-Spurs

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had a confrontation with Spurs guard Chris Paul

Matt Guzman

Jan 31, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half at Frost Bank Center.
Jan 31, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket against San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) during the second half at Frost Bank Center. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
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The same disbelieving look Giannis Antetokounmpo gave the San Antonio Spurs bench immediately following the final buzzer found its way onto the forward's face in the visiting locker room.

His Milwaukee Bucks had come up short on the road, 118-144 — the Spurs' highest point total since 2022 — and while that was enough to put him in a dull mood, something else was on his mind.

“Enough is enough," Antetokounmpo told reporters.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Bucks star tripped while driving the lane defended by Chris Paul. He fell to the floor and an ensuing scuffle saw both teams' tempers flare. The play itself was incidental, but with a past history between the pair dating back to the 2021 NBA Finals, perhaps that was a likely story.

"If I feel you’re trying to put my body, my career, my livelihood in jeopardy in danger, enough is enough brother," he added. "I have a family to feed, what makes you laugh can sometimes make you cry.”

Paul and Antetokounmpo exchanged words after the play, and Paul mocked the forward after he missed the first free throw that resulted from the foul, though nothing more than a post-game staredown between both stars came to fruition.

The Spurs are now 1-1 against Milwaukee on the season with the second night of a back-to-back on the horizon. Currently, they sit three games below .500 with the All-Star Break fast approaching.

Luckily for them, Paul was able to avoid a repeat of his Portland ejection earlier in the season.

"Ooh boy," he said that time. "It's so hard to hold my tongue."

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Matt Guzman
MATT GUZMAN

Matt Guzman is a sports journalist and storyteller from Austin, Texas. He serves as a credentialed reporter and site manager for San Antonio Spurs On SI and a staff writer for multiple collegiate sites in the same network. In the world of professional sports, he is a firm believer that athletes are people, too, and intends to tell stories of players and teams’ true, behind-the-scenes character that otherwise would not be seen through strong narrative writing, hooking ledes and passionate words.

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