“Going to Call the League Office Today”: Stephen A. Smith Lashes Out at NBA Ref For Ejecting Giannis Antetokounmpo

After Giannis Antetokounmpo was ejected during the third quarter of the Milwaukee Bucks’ victory against the Detroit Pistons, Stephen A. Smith lost his patience with the officiating, during a recent segment on First Take with Kendrick Perkins. Antetkounmpo picked up what was his second technical foul in the third quarter, after receiving his first in the 2nd quarter, for staring down the Pistons’ Isaiah Stewart following a dunk.

With the Bucks leading comfortably, Giannis’s absence gave the Pistons a way back into the game which eventually was won by just two points. While the first came as a result of him swearing at the referee following a drive to the basket, the second one was immediately called out as a poor decision by the referee.

Stephen A. Smith seemed to agree and claimed that he would soon be calling the league office to get an explanation.

“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,” Smith said, claiming that the referee had no right to eject a superstar for such a minor offense.

Smith claimed that his decision had been a gross disservice to fans, who paid good money once or twice a year to watch their favorite NBA superstars.

Claiming that he himself did not watch the game, Smith did not react initially because he did not know the reason behind the Greek Freak’s sending-off. “I did not see that game. I did not know that that was the reason that Giannis Antetokounmpo got ejected from a basketball game,” he said.

Hence, it is clear that like Giannis and a range of fans and viewers, Smith also believes that the referee made a huge error by sending him off. Of course, the damage was limited, as the Bucks eventually managed to win 120-118 following an 18-point fourth-quarter display from Damian Lillard.

Giannis Antetokounmpo expelled against Detroit Pistons

Giannis himself was left stunned after the referee ejected him. He looked around wide-eyed at his coach and walked over to the ref multiple times in order to get an explanation.

Later, Rodney Mott explained the reasoning behind the decisions. While the first unsportsmanlike foul came as a result of a profanity that Giannis had used against the game official after he was fouled, the second one was highly contentious.

Giannis simply drove to the basket and dunked over Isaiah Stewart, before staring him down. The stare-down celebration is quite common in the NBA although the reasoning might be related to how close he walked over to the defender while celebrating.

The Bucks had entered quarter three with a 10-point lead but returned with a 2-point deficit, in part due to Giannis’s absence, along with Cade Cunningham’s onslaught.

However, Dame responded in the fourth as the Pistons failed to bring home the game despite 12 points in the quarter from Marcus Sasser, who came off the bench.