“I’m going to call league office today!” Stephen A Smith FURIOUS as referee rips off paying customer with Giannis Antetokounmpo ejection over poster dunk

The Milwaukee Bucks won despite Antetokounmpo's ejection.


“I’m going to call league office today!” Stephen A Smith FURIOUS as referee rips off paying customer with Giannis Antetokounmpo ejection over poster dunk

Stephen A. Smith, Giannis Antetokounmpo (via Sports Illustrated)

After Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s forceful dunk on Isaiah Stewart in a recent game against the Detroit Pistons, he got ejected due to a second technical foul. Fans and NBA experts considered it a routine display of passion. ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith strongly disagreed with the referee’s decision, expressing his anger in a recent First Take segment.

Smith believed there was no valid reason for Giannis to be ejected and criticized the referee for what he saw as an unfounded call. According to Smith, such decisions are unfair to paying fans who want to enjoy passionate games, and he argued that the referee made a significant error in ejecting Giannis.

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Stephen A Smith in a statement said:

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I’m going to call the league office today. Who the hell is paying to see the referee? That is not a reason to eject Giannis Antetokounmpo from a game. That is ridiculous. That is a disservice to the fans, paying customers, coming to see them play.

The Milwaukee Bucks were leading in points even after Antetokounmpo’s send-off but this also gave an advantage to the Pistons to have their way back in the game which eventually was won by a margin of two points by the Bucks.

Initially, Stephen A Smith wasn’t aware of the reason behind the send-off of Antetokounmpo off the basketball court and didn’t react as he claimed that he didn’t watch the game. Smith said:

I did not see that game. I did not know that that was the reason that Giannis Antetokounmpo got ejected from a basketball game. 

However in the end the Milwaukee Bucks won against the Detroit Pistons in a 120-118 victory. This win was followed by an impressive performance by Damian Lillard who dropped 18 points in the fourth quarter.

The Milwaukee Bucks won despite Antetokounmpo’s ejection

On Monday night, the Milwaukee Bucks faced the Detroit Pistons. Surprisingly, the Bucks’ star player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, got ejected after dunking on Isaiah Stewart in the third quarter. This left the Bucks in a tough spot with only nine minutes remaining. Before the ejection, Giannis scored 15 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and made five assists.

Giannis Antetokounmpo expresses no interest in signing new deal with Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo (image via ESPN)

The Detroit Pistons with Antetokounmpo’s departure had an upper hand and used that to their advantage with a scoring streak in the nine minutes that were left in the third quarter. With Milwaukee’s star forward benched due to a second technical foul, the Pistons managed to get a five-point lead, entering the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Pistons took a ten-point lead, but thanks to superstars Damian Lillard and Brook Lopez, the Milwaukee Bucks secured a 120-118 victory. Lillard scored 34 points with two rebounds, while Lopez made a crucial three-pointer and blocked the Pistons’ potential game-winner, sealing the impressive win.

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