Giannis Antetokounmpo says he’ll take the ball from his historic night and give it to his mother

This may be the reason why Giannis pursued the game ball with such passion.

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Many were left puzzled at the incident that occurred after the final buzzer of the Milwaukee Bucks’ 140-126 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. The image of Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo furiously darting towards the Indiana Pacers' locker room, followed by his older brother Thanasis in search of the game ball, was a sight to behold.

After his record-breaking game, the “Greek Freak” shared that he’d give the ball to his mother, Veronica.

Unsure if it’s the game-used ball

The two-time league MVP was in his element versus the Pacers. Highly motivated after Indiana ousted them from the semifinals of the In-Season Tournament, Giannis went on to drop a career-high and new franchise record of 64 points, shattering the previous record held by Michael Redd, who scored 57 points back in 2006.

At the postgame press conference, Antetokounmpo revealed that he intends to give the ball to his mother but added that he’s unsure if the ball he has is indeed the game-used ball.

“The ball that I have, which I’ll take, and I’ll give it to my mom for sure. I don’t know if it’s actually the game ball. It’s okay. Life continues,” Giannis said.

“I’m not gonna lie. I have no idea. I don’t know. I really don’t know. I don’t know. I have a ball, but I don’t know if it’s the game ball. It doesn’t feel like the game ball to me. I felt like a brand-new ball. I can tell. I played 35 minutes today. I know how the game ball felt.”

Giannis and Haliburton had heated exchange following Bucks-Pacers 😳

It involved Pacers taking game ball away after Giannis' 64-point game pic.twitter.com/zsSGraLQVi

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 14, 2023

Precious memorabilia

Giannis added that he doesn’t have the game ball from Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals, where he tallied 50 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks to lead the Bucks to a 105-98 victory over Phoenix to win the 2020-21 NBA championship. It’s clear these little mementos mean a lot to Antetokounmpo, as he expressed his disappointment at not being able to get the game ball.

“I don’t even have the game ball from – which hurts me – I don’t have the game ball from Game 6 of the NBA Finals. I don’t have the game ball from that either. It’s just unfortunate,” Giannis said.

Controversy erupts as Giannis chases game ball straight into the Pacers' locker room