Who actually took Giannis Antetokounmpo’s game-ball after he furiously chased Pacers players for it following his franchise-record and career-best 64 POINTS for the Bucks

It was finally revealed that a Bucks official had taken Giannis Antetokounmpo’s game ball after he furiously chased it after Pacers players following his franchise-record and career-best 64 points for Milwaukee.

An unidentified Bucks official reportedly grabbed the game ball as the game began Wednesday night. ESPN Adrian Wojnarowski, plus videos and eyewitness accounts on the Fiserv Forum.

Antetokounmpo exchanged heated words with the Indiana staff and raced toward the Pacers’ locker room after the conclusion of a midweek game that saw the two teams square off in the hallway in a dispute over the game ball.

Following the Bucks’ 140-126 win, Antetokounmpo had a heated discussion with Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton and fellow Pacers before rushing off the court into the Indiana locker room in search of the ball.

The Bucks wanted the game ball for their 29-year-old seven-time All-Star. Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said the Pacers gave the ball to Oscar Tshiebwe, who scored his first official NBA point.

An unknown Bucks official took the game ball from Giannis Antetokounmpo after he scored 64 points.

Antetokounmpo, 28, became angry with Pacers staff after he couldn’t find the game ball.

He argued with Pacers assistant coach Lloyd Pierce (center) and star guard Tyrese Haliburton (right).

This led to a confrontation between team members in the arena hallway. After this, there was still confusion about who had which game ball.

‘I have no idea. I’m not going to lie,” said Antetokounmpo, a one-time NBA champion (2021). ‘I have no idea. I don’t know. I really do not know. I have a ball, but I don’t know if it’s a game ball. It doesn’t look like a game ball to me. It feels like a new ball. I can say. I played for 35 minutes today. I know what it feels like to play with the ball.

“The ball that I have that I will definitely take and give to my mom, but I don’t know if it’s really a game ball.”

The footage shows an unidentified Bucks employee collecting a real game ball. Carlisle said the Pacers apparently had a spare game ball, which they took after the game.

Bucks guard Cameron Payne said he was one of the players who went down the tunnel.

“The man wanted that ball,” Payne said of Antetokounmpo. “I look after my team, helping my teammate. Honestly, it was just a lot of worry. He just wanted his ball, man.”

Antetokounmpo excelled on the floor against the Pacers in the Bucks’ 140-126 win.

Carlisle said several Bucs players were in the hallway outside Indiana’s locker room and there was an altercation in which Indiana’s general manager was elbowed in the ribs.

“What happened after the game was unfortunate,” Carlisle said. “There was a misunderstanding regarding the game ball. … We weren’t thinking about Giannis’ franchise record, so we took the ball away.

“A couple of minutes later, several of their players ended up in our corridor, and a big, I don’t even know what to call it, began – a fight, hand-to-hand combat, whatever. I don’t think any punches were thrown, but one of their players elbowed my general manager in the ribs. He definitely had a bruised rib, and who knows, maybe it’s something more. Unfortunate situation.

“We don’t need an official game ball. There are two game balls. We could take another option, but it doesn’t have to go that far. Really unfortunate.

Carlisle mentioned that the teams had played three times in the last few weeks and said that things had been tense between the teams. Indiana beat Milwaukee last Thursday night in the semifinals of the intraseason tournament in Las Vegas.