Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo 'Loved' Amen Thompson's Flagrant Foul

James Brizuela | Feb 26, 2025

Feb 25, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) attempts to dribble the ball around Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Bucks took on the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, leading to a 100-97 heartbreaking loss.

Read more: Amen Thompson Ejected After Flagrant Foul on Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo

In the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and Rockets star Amen Thompson got tangled up during a rebound attempt, leading to Thompson grabbing
Antetokounmpo and all but slamming him to the ground.

The result of the play was Thompson getting hit with a flagrant 2 foul, resulting in his ejection. The moment was posted by NBA on ESPN, which shows Thompson grabbing around
Antetokounmpo 's head and seemingly throw him to the ground.

Amen Thompson was ejected for a flagrant two foul on Giannis. pic.twitter.com/JMRbq2NGe2

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 26, 2025

With Thompson being ejected, the Rockets still managed to pull away the win. Following the altercation, Antetokounmpo spoke about the flagrant foul, praising the Rockets star for playing tough.

"At the end of the day like you don't want to have a league that's soft," Antetokounmpo said when asked about the play. "I love guys that play hard. I love guys that they're great competitors."

"I'm one of those guys. Sometimes your competitive nature gets in the way [of] making the best decision, the best judgment at the time. And I feel like he wanted to make it a hard foul, but he grabbed my neck. But there's no hard feelings."

Antetokounmpo surprisingly praised Thompson for playing hard, also stating that he doesn't want the league to be "soft," however the referees clearly felt different.

Following the replay, the referee spoke to the crowd, stating, "After review, the contact to the head was unnecessary and excessive. Therefore, it meets the criteria for a flagrant foul penalty 2. Thompson is ejected, Giannis will be on the line for two shots, and Milwaukee will have possession of the ball," the referee explains in the video of the play.

The punishment was shocking to the analysts calling the game. Thompson himself did not speak to reporters after the game.

The young guard may have been a bit emotional following the incident, especially after being ejected from the game. Either way, Thompson was hit with a severe punishment for wrapping his arms around
Antetokounmpo.

The Bucks have now fallen to 32-25 on the season, snapping a four-game losing streak. They are currently the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and are attempting to avoid the play-in tournament for the playoffs.

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