Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is defended by Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics during the first half of the game at Fiserv Forum.
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Tempers flared between two of the NBA’s biggest stars on Sunday as 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown called Giannis Antetokounmpo “a child” after the Milwaukee Bucks forward jokingly offered him a fake handshake during the Boston Celtics’ comeback win.

The controversy began early in the second quarter when Antetokounmpo caught Brown in the face with an elbow, picking up an offensive foul.

Laughing and smiling, Antetokounmpo offered another high-five. But this time Brown declined, shaking his head.

“Giannis is a child,” Brown told NBC Sports Boston after the game. “I’m just focused on helping my team get a win, and that’s what we did tonight.”

The Celtics guard continued to let his frustrations show on the court, and in the fourth quarter was called for a flagrant foul against Antetokounmpo when he challenged his opponent in the air as he was driving to the basket. Brown later said the foul was not related to the earlier incident.

The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo is fouled by the Boston Celtics’ Jaylen Brown during the second half.
Morry Gash/AP

In a post-match press conference, Antetokounmpo appeared surprised that Brown had taken such offense to the gesture.

“Obviously, it’s a joke,” he told reporters. “We’re playing basketball, but at the same time, you gotta have fun while playing. I think he’s an incredible player. He does whatever he can to help his team win. Extremely competitive player. We’ve played against one another many times.

“I think we always joke around within the flow of the game. It’s something that I do with my kids. I play around. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Oh, give me a high five. Oop, you’re too slow.’ I just did it. I enjoyed it though. It was fun.

“If I’m called a child, so be it … If I have another opportunity, I’ll do it again,” he continued.

Antetokounmpo’s teammates may not want him to repeat his antics, given what happened after the snub on Sunday. The Celtics were down 42-32 before the fake handshake, but after the incident outscored the Bucks 81-65 to win 113-107.

Antetokounmpo is guarded by Brown during the fourth quarter.
Benny Sieu/USA TODAY Sports/Reuters

Antetokounmpo was the leading scorer in the game with 43 points, plus 13 rebounds and five assists.

But Brown channeled his frustration into an excellent defensive performance on his return after four games out with injury, limiting Damian Lillard to 14 points on 4-of-15 shooting from the field.

Lillard has picked up 20 or more points in nine of his last 11 games at Fiserv Forum. The two in which he did not reach the mark have both come against the Celtics.

Jayson Tatum starred for Boston’s offense, picking up 31 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. The Celtics are now 9-2 on the season, a stark contrast to Milwaukee’s 2-8 record, its worst start through 10 games in more than a decade.