One Indiana Pacers player made waves on Wednesday night despite their 140-126 loss to Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, and it wasn't Tyrese Haliburton. It was 24-year old rookie Oscar Tshiebwe who stole the show, and it was because of his involvement in the game ball-stealing saga that sparked a few overreactions.
How was Oscar Tshiebwe involved in the ball-stealing shenanigans?
Oscar Tshiebwe, per se, wasn't the one who wanted the game ball for himself. The Pacers, however, wanted to give the rookie the game ball after he scored his first official points in the NBA, which, admittedly, is a pretty big feat for the 24-year old forward.
Alas, this drew the ire of Giannis Antetokounmpo, who wanted the ball for himself after putting up the best scoring night of his career, dropping 64 points against a hapless Pacers defense that had no answers for him on the interior. Antetokounmpo thought that the Pacers got to the game ball before he did, but a closer look at matters show that a Bucks staffer was able to secure the ball.
So even though Antetokounmpo thinks that he doesn't have the legitimate game ball, the chances are he does. Meanwhile, the Pacers were able to give Oscar Tshiebwe a replacement ball so he could still immortalize his first official point in the NBA.
Oscar Tshiebwe scored during the NBA In-Season Tournament final vs. the Lakers. Doesn't that count?
The Pacers rookie, indeed, scored one point in their 123-109 loss to the Lakers in the championship game of the inaugural NBA Cup. However, statistics for that game don't count on one's official record.
Oscar Tshiebwe's road to becoming a member of the Pacers
Oscar Tshiebwe put it all on the line when he was just a teenager, moving from the Democratic Republic of Congo to the United States of America to pursue his dreams of becoming an NBA player. He played high school basketball stateside beginning in 2015, playing for Mountain Mission School in Grundy, Virginia before transferring to Kennedy Catholic High School in Hermitage, Pennsylvania.
He clearly impressed during his high school days, playing in the McDonald's All-American Game and Nike Hoop Summit back in 2019. Tshiebwe then decided to play college hoops for West Virginia, although he transferred to Kentucky after two seasons. With the Wildcats, Tshiebwe flourished, averaging 16.9 points in 32.7 minutes of play across two seasons.
However, Oscar Tshiebwe went undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft. The Pacers proceeded to pick him up as an undrafted free agent, signing him to a two-way deal which allows him to split some time between the main roster and the team's G-League affiliate, the Indiana Mad Ants.
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