Giannis Antetokounmpo had to remind Donta Hall of the NBA hierarchy.
Far be it from me to make fun of anyone pursuing their dream, especially in such dangerous times. The shorthanded Brooklyn Nets needed as much help as they could get entering the NBA restart, and Donta Hall answered the call, signing with the team as a substitute player for the remainder of the season despite the potential COVID-19 concerns.
However, with that being said, you should probably try to avoid directly antagonizing the league’s reigning (and likely two-time) MVP when you only have six career NBA games to your name.
In the Nets’ Tuesday contest against the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks, Hall got tangled up with Giannis Antetokounmpo under the basket as they jostled for position to go for the rebound. A frustrated Hall extended his arms to get Giannis off of him, shoving the Greek Freak to the floor.
Giannis immediately sprang to his feet and let the 22-year-old Alabama product know that kind of behavior wasn’t going to fly with him:
Showing fight is one thing, but fighting Giannis Antetokounmpo is another
Nets fans won’t have much to cheer about in this bubble, especially with so many unfamiliar faces and Jamal Crawford now injured, so you’ve got to appreciate Hall’s mentality of not backing down from anyone.
Even so, that extra shove after they got their arms wrapped up was hardly a basketball play, and it’s understandable why Giannis reacted the way he did:
Someone who’s played a grand total of six NBA games for two different teams should not be blatantly throwing the league MVP to the ground. While it’s very rare to see Giannis’ massive frame manhandled like that, it definitely wasn’t a regular basketball play either.
Props to Hall for showing fight and trying to stand out as he tries to make his way back onto an NBA roster, but it’d probably be a good idea to dial it back just a bit.