Giannis Antetokounmpo tried to shake hands with Victor Wembanyama at the end of the game, but the Frenchman walked past him and left him hanging.
Victor Wembanyama and Giannis Antetokounmpo had a spectacular first meeting in the NBA on Thursday night. After the game ended, though, Wembanyama went viral for leaving Antetokounmpo hanging.
It could just very well be that the Frenchman didn’t see Giannis. Wembanyama was heading toward one of the officials to presumably speak about an illegal inbound call that was made against the San Antonio Spurs earlier. It could also, of course, be that he was just frustrated to lose yet again, especially after he played so well.
Victor Wembanyama was blood-hungry for a birthday win against the Milwaukee Bucks. The San Antonio Spurs rookie got a green light for his special day from Gregg Popovich and did not disappoint. He was efficient in moving the ball from the perimeter all the way inside the paint. So much so that Giannis Antetokounmpo had to give his props to the rising star, via Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
“I’ve never seen anything like him,” was all the Bucks star could say about the Spurs rookie.
Victor Wembanyama was just on the floor for 26 minutes of playing time. Gregg Popovich, however, knew how much of a competitor the kid was so he gave him a big opportunity to run the offense. This paid dividends against the Bucks which netted the Spurs. 27 points and nine boards when the game wrapped up.
However, it was his rim protection and elite hands that kept the Bucks from scoring. He swatted away five shots and got a steal to switch the momentum toward his team when it was needed. All of this was in an effort for them to get into striking distance and it worked. But, Giannis Antetokounmpo did not give the rookie his birthday present.
The Bucks’ Greek Freak recorded 44 points and 14 rebounds. He did not want to leave the floor even after playing 39 minutes. Damian Lillard also put up 25 points of his own to eventually pull away from the Spurs. It was a hard-fought battle between these two teams but the veteran talent just overpowered the young guns.