Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander made an impressive Olympics debut in his country’s 86-79 group stage win over Greece and Giannis Antetokounmpo. In 30 minutes of action, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 21 points on 5-of-10 shooting with five rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and two blocks. Although Gilgeous-Alexander lived up to the claim that he's Canada's best player, it didn't come without a bit of trash talk.
On Saturday in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France, the two-time All-Star and Oklahoma City Thunder guard appeared to have some choice words at the buzzer toward Greece’s Giannoulis Larentzakis. It didn't last long, though, as Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo stepped in to break it up but was also a little chippy. Antetokounmpo elbowed Gilgeous-Alexander in the chest, diffusing the situation just long enough to allow Canadian staff and teammates to step in and break things up for good.
This brief interaction between Gilgeous-Alexander and Antetokounmpo could've set the stage for some long-term beef. However, after the game, Gilgeous-Alexander set the record straight and squashed any notion that bad blood still lingers.
“No. 5 bumped Nickeil [Alexander-Walker] after the whistle for no reason,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “I just wanted to let him know we don’t play that. It was hashed out. It was cool.”
What's next for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2024 Paris Olympics
After the minor dust-up between Gilgeous-Alexander and Antetokounmpo, both players and their respective teams will continue group-stage play in this summer's Olympics. Gilgeous-Alexander and Canada will take on Patty Mills and Australia, while Antetkoumpo's Greek squad will face Willy Hernangomez and Spain.
Although it's far too early into the group-stage portion of play to determine if Gilgeous-Alexander and Antetokounmpo will cross paths again, there's a chance it could happen in the quarter-finals. But that will require Antetokounmpo and Greece to pick up a few wins since it's an uphill battle after they dropped their first contest against Canada. The quarter-finals begin on August 5, with the gold medal game on August 10.
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