If you follow the NBA like an absolute sicko, you surely noticed the debate over stat-padding last week between ESPN commentators JJ Redick and Kendrick Perkins. Perkins accused Nikola Jokic of stat-padding as the Denver Nuggets big man inches closer to becoming the first player to win three straight MVP awards since Larry Bird. Redick strongly pushed back, and ESPN had something to argue about for a few days.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s bogus triple-double stripped by NBA for shameless stat-padding
Giannis showed us what stat-padding really looks like.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
It wasn’t long ago that Russell Westbrook was accused of stat-padding when he become the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double for a full season on his way to MVP. The stat-padding debate often feels tiresome and pointless, and there’s no denying that one of the league’s very best players did some blatant stat-padding to notch a triple-double on Sunday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo needed one more rebound for a triple-double against the Washington Wizards. As he ran down the court for a fastbreak in the final seconds with the Bucks’ win already secured, Giannis purposefully missed a shot to collect the offensive rebound and secure the triple-double.
The NBA decided on Monday rescind Antetokounmpo’s triple-double because he did not shoot with the intent to score, according to ESPN insider Zach Lowe. Watch it here:
As a student of the game, Giannis should know Ricky Davis once tried this, and it didn’t earn him any respect. Back in 2003, Davis needed one more rebound for his first ever triple-double, and purposefully missed a shot on his own basket to get the rebound. The stat keepers didn’t count it since it was on his own basket. Jerry Sloan, the opposing coach at the time, said he wished Davis got knocked down on his (rear).
Even worse, the Bucks’ official account celebrated this with no hint of irony!
Here’s news of the triple-double being rescinded:
Listen: Giannis remains my pick for the best player in the NBA, holding a slight lead over Jokic. The Bucks’ 16-game winning streak just ended despite Khris Middleton being in and out of the lineup, and they improved the roster at the trade deadline. Giannis already won a championship in 2021, and he can absolutely win another this season. He simply does not need to stat-pad like this for no reason.
No one is going to think more highly of Antetokounmpo because he got one more rebound in a March game against the Wizards. Instead, the way he did it is just sort of embarrassing. It was funny when Ricky Davis did it. With Giannis, it’s just bizarre. He has nothing to prove to anyone in the regular season. We all just want to see if he can win another ring.
The argument over Jokic’s numbers is pretty ridiculous. Want to see what real stat-padding looks like? Giannis did it against the Wizards.
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