Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo dunks during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, in Milwaukee. The Bucks won 110-101. (AP Photo/Morry Gash) ORG XMIT: WIMG120
Here is a throwback to the time when Giannis Antetokounmpo walked out on Mallika Andrews in a press conference.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is usually a composed personality both on and off the basketball court. The Greek Freak has very rarely been seen to lose his temper but he ended up losing his cool in a press conference with ESPN reporter Mallika Andrews a couple of years ago – a tournament where he ended up walking out.
It was back in the 2019 NBA Eastern Finals that the Milwaukee Bucks were up against the Toronto Raptors – and Giannis was right in the spotlight. The Greek Freak had just won the MVP – but the season did not end well for the Bucks as they lost to the Raptors. The Bucks lost to the Raptors in four straight games and bowed out of the tournament for the season, and Giannis was under the spotlight as he addressed questions from the press in the immediate aftermath of the defeat.
However, a question from ESPN’s Mallika Andrews proved to be too much even for Giannis.
Mallika Andrews’ question was not primarily what made Giannis lose his cool, but there was a backstory behind the situation.
Mallika Andrews had written a story about how Giannis plans to leave the Bucks after their defeat to the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Finals. The Bucks were favorites to win and were leading 2-0, but the Raptors, led by Kawhi Leonard, came back to win four matches on the trot and made it to the NBA Finals.
So when Andrews came up with a question in the press conference, Giannis chose to simply walk out of the press conference. It was one of the rare moments of a loss of temper in Giannis’ NBA career, and he eventually redeemed himself as well as the Bucks when he won the 2021 NBA Championship.
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