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Following the Milwaukee Bucks' 112-108 loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday night, Giannis Antetokounmpo was not pleased with his team's efforts. During his postgame comments, he called out the entire organization and the needed urgency to do better.
His comments gained attention from NBA fans as he also called out the team's equipment manager, saying that he has to wash their clothes better. Here's a look at his comments after the game, as per The Athletic's Eric Nehm:
Giannis Antetokounmpo's comments certainly sparked strong reactions from NBA fans as the Bucks star made sure to not just call out the coaching staff but even the equipment manager. Here's what fans had to say via X:
"Bro called out the equipment manager."
From the comments, fans were caught off guard by Antetokounmpo when he included the team's equipment manager in his frustrated comments.
It was a tough loss for the Bucks, who were coming off a 125-121 win from the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night. Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo dropping 48 points (16-of-25 shooting) and 17 rebounds, his incredible outing was not enough to lift his team to a victory.
As of right now, the Milwaukee Bucks are second (25-11 record) in the Eastern Conference standings. They have also won six out of their last 10 games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo talked about the team needing to find pride in playing defense
During his postgame interview, Giannis Antetokounmpo talked about where the team could start to improve their defensive identity. He responded by emphasizing urgency in playing with pride on defense, as per Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Jim Owczarski.
"Pride, pride, pride, pride," Antetokounmpo said. "We gotta take it personal. Like, we have to take it personal. Whoever wants to play hard, plays hard. Whoever doesn't want to play hard, it's gotta be a decision that's gotta be made. Even myself, too. If I don't play hard, sit me out, sit me on the bench. There's times I'm tired and I don't play as hard as I can."
From Antetokounmpo's comments, he urges his Bucks teammates to "take it personal" when it comes to guarding their opponents. He didn't sugarcoat anything as he even mentioned that if it comes down to sitting him for not playing hard, then he is open to it.
Whether these words galvanize his teammates or not, one thing's for certain, Giannis Antetokounmpo is willing to say the things that some players might shy away from saying.
