Giannis Antetokounmpo on Sunday night recorded his fourth triple-double of the season, and the Milwaukee Bucks star did so with one of the most unapologetic stat-padding stunts you will ever see.
The Bucks were leading 117-111 with less than 10 seconds left in their game against the Washington Wizards when Antetokounmpo grabbed his ninth rebound of the night. Giannis had 23 points and 13 assists at the time, which meant he was just one rebound shy of a triple-double.
Washington was content to let Giannis dribble out the clock, but the two-time MVP wanted his triple-double. He got the ball up the court and gently bounced the ball off the backboard to himself, which counted as a missed shot and his 10th rebound.
The move reminded people of the stuff former NBA player Ricky Davis used to pull. At the end of a game in 2003, the then-Cleveland Cavaliers swingman angered legendary coach Jerry Sloan and the Utah Jazz when Davis tried to steal a triple-double with his team leading by 25 points. Since he shot at his own basket, the attempt and rebound did not count.
Fellow MVP candidate Nikola Jokic was recently accused of stat-padding by a media member, so it's interesting that Antetokounmpo would make such a decision with the topic of stat-padding already among the hot topics in NBA talk.
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