Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn't think the Milwaukee Bucks' season was a failure, but he certainly seems to think the NBA's All-Defensive Team voting was.
Antetokounmpo posted a cryptic tweet Tuesday shortly after the 2022-2023 All-Defensive first and second teams were announced, and he was not on either.
"I’m tired of the disrespect. I’m coming," Antetokounmpo tweeted with a photo of himself seated on the bench.
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Antetokounmpo is a five-time All-Defensive Team selection, making first team each of the previous four seasons.
His tweet came after it was revealed that he received 16 first-team votes and 28 second-team votes for a total of 60 points. He received the most points of all players who did not make the second team, but trailed fellow forwards Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, who received 89 points, and O.G. Anunoby of the Toronto Raptors, who received 81 points. The forwards on the first team were top vote-getter Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies (195 points) and Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers (132 points).
Antetokounmpo's Bucks teammates Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez each were voted to the first team.
The team was selected by a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters, with players receiving two points for a first-team vote and one for a second-team vote. Players who received votes at multiple positions were slotted at the position at which they received the most points. Total points include voting points players received at any position.
While Antetokounmpo didn't qualify for the All-Defensive Team, he was one of three finalists for the MVP award this season. He averaged a career-high 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.
NBA
Antetokounmpo, who won back-to-back MVP awards in 2019 and 2020, was named Defensive Player of the Year for the 2019-2020 season. He was also named one of the greatest players in league history as a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team in 2021, the same year he led the Bucks to their first championship since 1974.
Milwaukee posted the best record in the NBA this season at 58-24 but lost to the Heat in the first round in five games, becoming the fifth No. 1 seed to get eliminated by the No. 8 seed.
Antetokounmpo expressed more frustration in his seven-word tweet Tuesday than he did after the Bucks were eliminated by the Heat, after which he went on a rant when a reporter asked him if he viewed the season as a failure.
"Every year you work, you work towards something, towards a goal, right? Which is to get a promotion, be able to take care of your family, to be able to provide the house for them or take care of your parents," Antetokounmpo said. "You work towards a goal. It’s not a failure. It’s steps to success.
"Michael Jordan played 15 years, won six championships. The other nine years were a failure? That's what you're telling me. I'm asking you a question, yes or no? So, why you ask me that question? It's the wrong question. There's no failure in sports. You know, there's good days, bad days. Some days you are able to be successful, some days you're not. Some days it’s your turn, some days it’s not your turn. And that's what sports is about. You don't always win, some other team’s gonna win. And this year, somebody else is gonna win."
And somebody else is gonna be on the All-Defensive Team.