It looks like Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo won’t be visiting Australia any time soon … or maybe ever. If Australian fans are looking for someone to blame for that, however, they don’t need to look further than their own Joe Ingles.
During his interview with Kane Pitman of ESPN Australia, Antetokounmpo was asked if he ever plans to visit the Land Down Under. After all, he has a number of fans from the country. In a hilarious response, however, the Greek Freak joked that he’s “not coming to Australia” because Ingles was from there.
“I’m not coming [to Australia], you guys have Joe Ingles over there. You guys produced Joe Ingles. He sucks,” Antetokounmpo told Pitman before clarifying that he’s joking.
Antetokounmpo then shared a story of how he used to joke Ingles and made him pay full price for his shoes, saying: “I love Joe. He went to the store and he was like buying shoes for his kids, and he mentioned ‘Hey I know Giannis, I need a discount.’ I was like, ‘No, man. Take your wallet out and pay some money. Let me get some royalties from the shoes. Thank you for being a great customer.'”
"I'm not coming to Australia…. you guys produced Joe Ingles. He sucks." 😂
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo was in great spirits when he sat down with ESPN's @KanePitman
Watch the full interview and more on tonight's episode of The Jump!
📺 7:00pm AEDT on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/RvxiYKMkHR— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) December 7, 2023
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joe Ingles played together for just one season in 2022-23. Clearly, though, they have become good friends despite their brief time together.
Ingles signed a two-year deal with the Orlando Magic this past offseason, effectively ending his partnership with Antetetokounmpo. Regardless, however, it sure looks like the two remain friends.
Joe Ingles’ Stint With Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
Joe Ingles joined the Bucks on a one-year deal he signed during the 2022 offseason. He came from the Portland Trail Blazers after the Utah Jazz traded him there in a three-team deal, though he never played for Rip City because of a torn ACL.
With the Bucks, Ingles played in 46 games and averaged 6.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists as a backup forward. While those were decent numbers, he did have some memorable games for the team. He once recorded a double-double of 14 points and 10 assists in a December win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
While Ingles is no longer in Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo won’t really miss him that much. The Bucks and Magic have still three meetings left after the showdown in early November. They have a game scheduled on December 21, so that should be a good opportunity for the Greek Freak to catch up with an old pal.
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