Giannis Antetokounmpo thought he had secured his fourth triple-double of the season. In the final moments of the 117-111 win over the Washington Wizards, he dribbled to the basket and rebounded an intentionally missed shot to himself.
“I thought I was going to score the ball, but I feel like in these situations it’s better to keep the ball,” Antetokounmpo said. “But yeah, I’m just trying to play the game smart and I kind of stole one.”
The NBA, however, canceled its 10th rebound on Monday after an internal review. His reasoning came from the league rule which states that for a field goal attempt to be considered official, the player must shoot “with the intent to score a field goal”.
Antetokounmpo made no secret of his goal as he collected the ball from Wizards goalkeeper Corey Kispert 11 seconds from time. As the opposing defense left him running, he opted not to score but threw the ball to himself from the backboard as the buzzer went off.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo deliberately threw a rebound to set up a triple-double on the buzzer to get his fourth triple-double of the NBA season
It seems there were no qualms about his obvious stat padding at the time on either side and the game ended in favor of the Bucks.
But where on-site statisticians credited it with the missed shot that led to the all-important rebound, the league’s review board, which regularly makes changes to correct errors or omissions, removed it the same day.
It’s not the first time he’s done this. In 2004, Atlanta Hawks guard Bob Sura was denied under similar circumstances. Fans who can cast their minds further can also recall a memorable moment with Ricky Davis in 2003.
The Cleveland Cavaliers man had 26 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds over the Utah Jazz, well aware he was one board away from his first career triple-double. When Jumaine Jones sent him the ball near the basket, Davis had one thing in mind. Instead of running time, he threw a slight flip from the backboard and recovered his shot.
The irony is that, much like Sura and Giannis, Davis was not credited with the rebound, and his final game stats meant he fell short.
Antetokounmpo too. He officially finished with 23 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds. Adjusting the stats dropped his rebound average from 11.94 per game to 11.92 – but his shooting percentage, with the missed “shot” also erased, improved from 0.538 to 0.539.