Giannis takes issue with CP3 foul: 'People that know me, they don't try me'

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo issued a postgame warning to Chris Paul after he felt the San Antonio Spurs guard put him at risk with a late foul Wednesday.

"They haven't tried me. You gotta try me. People that know me, they don't try me," Antetokounmpo said when asked about waiting to speak with Paul after the final buzzer, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. "If you try me, it's a different side. Yeah. So if you try me, you're going to get that different side of me.

"But yeah, okay, at the end of the day, like, I think we're all men, we all respect one another. And if words cross the line, then there's gotta be consequences. At the end of the day, like, I really, I don't say much. I don't say much. I try to play the game the right way. Yeah, but enough is enough. Like if I feel like you're putting my livelihood and my career and my body in jeopardy, in danger, enough's enough, brother. I have a family to feed. And what makes you laugh can also make you cry sometimes."

The play in question occurred with 3:46 left in the fourth quarter and the Spurs up 20. As Antetokounmpo spun between Paul and Jeremy Sochan in an attempt to get to the basket, the veteran Spurs guard appeared to push the Bucks forward away, causing Antetokounmpo to fall.

Antetokounmpo immediately pointed at Paul and tried to confront the 39-year-old but was stopped by players and coaches on both sides. However, the hostility between the two lingered; Paul appeared to mock the Bucks star after he missed the ensuing free throw, and Antetokounmpo invited the guard to meet with him after the contest.

Antetokounmpo waited for Paul on the court after the final whistle.

Officials reviewed the foul by Paul but did not consider it a flagrant.

It's not the first time the two have bumped heads. In Game 5 of the 2021 Finals, Antetokounmpo appeared peeved with Paul, who was then playing for the Phoenix Suns, after he was fouled while finishing off a game-sealing alley-oop.

Bucks head coach Doc Rivers believes Antetokounmpo would not have responded the way he did Wednesday if it wasn't warranted.

"Giannis is as level-headed as anybody in our league," Rivers said, according to Nehm. "So if he was upset at something, I'm going to probably guess something happened."