By now, most Bucks fans have seen the viral video of Giannis Antetokounmpo after the Philadelphia 76ers game. Giannis was just 4-15 from the free throw line and wanted to practice his free throws after the game. What happened next was a verbal altercation between 76ers bench player Monrtezl Harrell, the stadium staff and Giannis. It included Giannis pushing a ladder over and Harrell threatening Thanasis. Now, there are plenty of opinions on this matter. As I wrote here, many stadium employees from around the NBA took to Twitter to state that Giannis had every right to be there. However, former Bucks player Richard Jefferson has a different opinion.
Richard Jefferson Criticized Giannis for Being on the Court
In a segment that was posted on YouTube, Jefferson said the following about Giannis:
” Giannis shot terribly from the free throw line… But at the end of the day, Giannis is the road team… So if, Montrezl Harrell walks out and says this is my post-game routine at home, he is entitled to do that. Giannis has to respect that ”
To be fair, I am sure we can all see where Jefferson is coming from. After all, Giannis was on the visiting team. However, his comments now are completely contradictory to his actions and comments that he made while a player with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Richard Jefferson Never Backed Down from a Fight
The Milwaukee Bucks acquired Richard Jefferson in a trade with the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons. In one year with the Bucks, Jefferson averaged 19.6 points , 4.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. He played in all 82 games for Milwaukee, which was surprising given his aggressive and, sometimes, questionable antics.
As laid out in this article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in October of 2008, Jefferson nearly got into a fight with Detroit players during the MACC Fund game. Per the article, “unlike some Bucks players in recent years, he won’t back down from a challenge. Perhaps to prove a point, he nearly came to blows with Detroit’s Arron Afflalo during the MACC Fund Game – the MACC Fund Game! – a couple of weeks ago.”
The article continues with Jefferson’s own words:
“If you read the Bible, people have always had to fight for what they wanted,” Jefferson said. “I’m one of those I-don’t-speak-unless-spoken-to type of people. I don’t go out there running my mouth. But I don’t think there’s any person that would ever say about me, as a competitor, that I would back down.
“Yeah, I might lose a battle. But no one is ever going to say I backed down and cowered away. And that’s something I take pride in.”
Based on this quote, straight from Jefferson itself, it would seem that Giannis should have garnered praise from the former player instead of criticism. Time changes people, but Jefferson’s most recent comments about Giannis sure seem to fly in the face of his previous actions and comments.
Remember This Fight?
Oh, and then there was the time Jefferson tried to fight Thon Maker:
Or the time he tried to fight Frank Williams:
Seems like Jefferson sympathizes more with Harrell because he was a Harrell-type player (just, you know, more talented) during his career.
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