Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the nicest guys off the basketball court, is a different beast during the games. Sometimes, the aggressive side can fully take over. Former Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah recalled how the Greek Freak took down veteran Mike Dunleavy Jr. in what could only be described as one of the most reckless incidents in Giannis’ career.
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“I had a playoff series when he was really young. He was already a great player, but I remember my guy, Mike Dunleavy, gave him a little cheap shot and he just lost it and just got thrown out the game for just bulldozing over him.” Noah said on Old Man and the Three Things.
This story about a young Giannis bulldozing Mike Dunleavy in his first playoff series is wild pic.twitter.com/7pCjePNW0y
— TheYoungManAndTheThree (@OldManAndThree) December 10, 2024
The incident dates back to 2015. Noah’s Bulls were facing the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. During Game 6 of the series, Dunleavy Jr. targeted Giannis’ teammate Michael Carter-Williams right through the matchup with rough screens and hostile defensive tactics.
Eventually, it all got a bit too much for young Antetokounmpo to handle. He lashed out and ended up leveling the 34-year-old Dunleavy onto the floor. Eventually, Chicago recorded a 66-120 blowout victory in the game, and sealed the series 4-2.
Chicago was already pacing the Bucks by 30 points when the incident happened. That could explain Antetokounmpo’s frustration and short fuse. He must have felt he had nothing to lose when he decked Dunleavy late in the first half.
Noah explained how the entire incident was rare in the NBA, while emphasizing how badly the future MVP lost his self-control.
“It was a crazy play, like if you look at it, you’re like, ‘You don’t see plays like that in the NBA…’ [Giannis] just completely lost his cool… Dunleavy, he just chopped him in the neck, just a quick chop in the neck. He just lost his composure completely. It was his first playoff series.” Noah recalled.
The series defeat lit a fire in Giannis. It also gave him perspective on how to approach future playoff matchups. The eight-time All-Star has not just improved on the court since then, but he has also learned to control his temper. His early-career hotheadedness and emotional explosions are a thing of the past.
Antetokounmpo had once opened up on how he was able to alter his overly relentless mentality. He had consulted a sports psychologist. The pressure of becoming a face of the league was weighing on him, and the forward knew his issues needed to be addressed. Giannis revealed he had to be honest with himself and took the demons he was fighting head on. It wasn’t an easy journey though.
“People that talk to the sports psychiatrists, they label us ‘soft.’ We’ve seen that in the past, like, ‘Oh, man, I’m having anxiety.’ ‘Man, you’re soft. Go deal with that.’ That’s how it’s labeled. That’s why it’s hard to open up. Even for me, it was extremely tough,” Giannis revealed in a 2021 interview with GQ.
The Greek Freak’s career trajectory is proof that improvement requires conscious effort and doesn’t just happen organically. Be it the game, the mind, or the body. Giannis’ hard-working nature will always be a part of him, but learning to cut himself some slack allowed him to blossom both as a superstar athlete and as a person.
