Credits: USA Today Sports
In an unfortunate decision by the referees, Giannis Antetokounmpo got a second technical foul and was ejected from the game for taunting Isiah Stewart after dunking on him. The decision was not received well by analysts across media houses. Everyone had strong opinions on the call, and while some called the league soft, others were just left flabbergasted.
Skip Bayless, co-host of the show ‘Undisputed‘, decided to use the Giannis dunk to motivate the French phenomenon – Victor Wembanyama. Referring to Giannis as a young and strong player, who likes to play bully ball, Bayless wants Wembanyama to emulate the same mentality when he steps on the court. Here is a tweet from the show:
“Giannis is just too young, tall and strong. When he gets the smallest edge on you, you’re what Shaq calls it, ‘BBQ chicken.‘”@RealSkipBayless
on Giannis’ 54-point performance vs Pacers pic.twitter.com/4VihxUS6iR— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) November 10, 2023
Coming off a 54-point performance, Antetokounpo received heavy praise from Bayless, who compared him to Wilt Chamberlain and said, “He annihilates, he dominates in the paint. There were some shots he made last night where he gets down to the basket. He is almost going Wilt Chamberlain’s finger roll down to the basket.” He was so impressed, he ended up giving him a 9.5 score despite a loss.
The co-host went on to request the same kind of play from the Spurs rookie. He says “I want to see Victor Wembanyama, go inside and terrorize somebody to the point, that as he runs up the court he says – He is too small to guard me!”. Webanyama has shown flashes of brilliance in the eight games he has played in the NBA and will have to soon learn to utilize his size consistently.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ejection receives criticism
Giannis Antetokounmpo was ejected in the game against the Detroit Pistons for staring at Isiah Stewart after dunking on him. It was his second technical for the game which serves as automatic ejection. This decision had everyone fuming. ESPN’s First Take Analyst – Stephen A. Smith said “I’m going to call the league office today. Who the hell is paying to see the referee? That is not a reason to eject Giannis Antetokounmpo from a game. That is ridiculous.”
Los Angeles Lakers legend – Shaquille O’Neal was also not having it. He agreed with Stephen A. Smith’s rant and posted the same on his Instagram story. NBA player and ESPN Analyst – Kendrick Perkins termed the decision horrible and believed the actions were not strong enough to throw a player with Antetokounmpo’s stature out of the game.
