Doc Rivers did himself no favors when he took to the airwaves to dismantle Giannis Antetokounmpo’s basketball IQ. However, rather than escalate, Giannis took a measured approach.
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Speaking after the Heat’s 114–108 victory over the Sacramento Kings, a night where he answered critics with 29 points and 14 rebounds, Antetokounmpo made no effort to mask his disgust.
“I’m speechless,” Antetokounmpo said in a postgame conversation. “You gotta go ask him why he felt that, that’s on him, that’s not on me. I gotta focus on my team.”
“Godd*mn, that’s crazy, never let bitterness or pettiness get in front of your goals and dreams.”
During the conversation, Giannis also firmly stated that Rivers is not his coach anymore; it’s Erik Spoelstra. He dismissed Rivers as “a coach that I’ve worked with in the past.”
Rivers’ comments came as a surprise considering that he and Giannis spent parts of three seasons together. In fact, when Rivers arrived as the Bucks’ new head coach, Antetokounmpo felt “peace of mind” at the hiring.
Giannis was happy that Rivers took over some of the locker room duties he had to handle under Adrian Griffin, who struggled to control a championship-level team.
While Rivers acknowledged Antetokounmpo’s freak athleticism on the Bill Simmons Show, he questioned the ‘Greek Freak’s’ ability to execute the offense.
Additionally, he took a shot at Giannis’ IQ, stating that he only knew one way to play the game, downhill.
Rivers’ remarks went beyond Antetokounmpo’s on-court approach. The former coach also suggested that Giannis wanted to leave Milwaukee but preferred the organization to make the decision to trade him rather than request an exit himself.
However, while responding, Antetokounmpo has seemingly chosen to take the high road. Rather than taking shots at Rivers, he calmly redirected the conversation.
Similar to Spoelstra’s message to Rivers, Giannis stated that he’s simply focused on helping the 4-6 Heat improve.
However, he may have been taking a jab at Rivers by calling him petty and bitter. The remark could also be interpreted as a subtle dig at the former Bucks coach’s postseason record. Rivers failed to lead Milwaukee beyond the first round during his tenure.
While Antetokounmpo is fully focused on the Heat, he did seem really taken aback by Rivers’ comments. He couldn’t help expressing his disbelief while speaking to reporters.
“That’s insane, you gotta go ask him why he said what he said.”
Ultimately, Antetokounmpo appears to have little interest in revisiting his time in Milwaukee or being drawn into a public feud with his former coach. With Spoelstra now leading the way, the two-time MVP is focused on helping Miami turn its season around.
Rivers may have had his say about their time together, but Giannis seems determined to let his performances do the talking.
The Heat have won two of their last three games. With the Jazz, Pistons, and Cavaliers as their next three opponents, Giannis has the opportunity to build on that momentum.