Sunday night, Giannis Antetokounmpo said that he “stole” a triple-double thanks to a rebound opportunity he created at the end of the game.
Monday, the NBA took that rebound back from him, as well as the triple-double.
With nine seconds left in the Bucks’ win over the Wizards, Antetokounmpo grabbed a defensive rebound, giving him nine on the evening. He ran towards the other end of the court, got close to the basket, hesitated for a brief moment, intentionally threw the ball towards the bottom of the rim, and then caught the ball for what counted as his 10th rebound.
“Kind of stole one,” Antetokounmpo said Sunday after the game.
While he was credited with 10 rebounds by the on-site statisticians, the NBA reviewed the game stats as it normally does and ended up removing the last rebound. Per league rules, for a field goal attempt to count, the player must shoot “with intent to score a field goal,” which the Bucks star clearly did not.
The league has rescinded Giannis Antetokounmpo's 10th rebound last night–and thus his triple-double, sources tell ESPN. League rules say that for a field-goal attempt to count as official, the player has to shoot "with intent to score a field-goal" — i.e. to make the shot.
— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) March 6, 2023
Antetokounmpo’s official stat line for the game will now be 23 points, 13 assists, and 9 rebounds. Not only did he lose the triple-double, but his rebound average dropped from 11.94 per game to 11.92.
The good news is that since that shot no longer counted, his shooting percentage improved from .538 to .539.
[ESPN]
