A controversial dunk ignites a heated clash.
The Chicago Bulls fell to the Milwaukee Bucks 112-103 on Saturday, but the highlight of the night came in a postgame altercation after Giannis Antetokounmpo's controversial windmill dunk that sparked a scuffle.
Leading 110-103 with 16 seconds left, Antetokounmpo grabbed a defensive rebound while the Bulls showed no intention to foul. Holding the ball on Milwaukee's final possession, he disregarded an unwritten rule — the winning team should dribble out the clock rather than run up the score, especially when the losing team has stopped defending — and ran down to Chicago's paint for an unnecessary jam.
The move immediately drew discontent from Nikola Vucevic and Coby White, who approached Antetokounmpo with words.
"He shouldn't have dunked the ball. It's disrespectful to the game. I said, 'Bro, you're better than that.' The game is over. Why you gotta do that? It's a respect thing," White told CHSN.
What should have been a normal verbal confrontation escalated into a scuffle as both benches rushed in. Bobby Portis Jr. aggressively pushed White out of the way, leaving the scene chaotic, while Antetounkounmpo was walking off, until coaches arrived to separate the teams.
Asked if White felt the push from Portis Jr., he said no and had no clue what really happened amid the situation.
"It was a lot of bodies, a lot of scuffling," he said. "Just the NBA scuffling...I don't care what he (Portis Jr.) did."
Antetokounmpo, returning from a right calf strain that sidelined him since Dec. 3, finished with 29 points and 8 rebounds in 25 minutes. He defended his decision, framing it as an urgency for "finding identity" while the Bucks sit in 11th place, out of play-in eligibility.
"If that is to get a little bit scrappy at the end, so be it. We're not the champs. Why should we play the clock out and have respect and fair play?" Antetokounmpo told The Athletic's Eric Nehm.
Dec 27, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) goes up for a dunk against the Chicago Bulls during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images"We're fighting for our lives right now. This is real talk. I've been 13 years in the league — if we keep on losing, brother, probably half of the team's not gonna be here. We're not going to make the playoffs. I really don't care. At the end of the day, I just want to be available, be healthy, and help my team win. And if that's what has to happen for everybody to wake up and understand we're fighting for our lives and we gotta get our hands dirty, so be it."
As the Bucks struggle with their record, trade rumors surrounding Antetokounmpo have intensified. Multiple teams, including the Bulls, have been mentioned in potential trade conversations as Milwaukee searches for help to keep their franchise star. However, according to Fox 32's Lou Carneilis earlier in December, the Bulls aren't interested in trading for him. Antetokounmpo's representatives reportedly reached out to Chicago about a potential trade, but the Bulls declined.
Vucevic, who confronted Antetokounmpo immediately after the dunk, used the storyline for humor.
"I assume Giannis was mad about that report that came out that the Bulls wouldn't trade for him and he wanted to prove a point," Vucevic said postgame.
The loss snapped Chicago's five-game winning streak. After wrapping up back-to-back home games this week, the Bulls will continue their homestand with four consecutive games at the United Center, looking to bounce back Monday (Dec. 3) against the Minnesota Timberwolves.