"A freak for real" - NBA fans comically react as Giannis Antetokounmpo jokingly whips ref with a towel

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks made light work of the shorthanded Dallas Mavericks during Wednesday's 137-107 home victory. In the contest's waning minutes, the superstar forward poked fun at referee Mitchell Ervin, provoking comical NBA fan reactions.

Antetokounmpo tallied 32 points, 15 rebounds and four assists, shooting 65.0%. Meanwhile, his co-star Damian Lillard recorded a game-high 34 points, five assists, two steals and five 3-pointers, shooting 73.3% as Milwaukee led nearly wire-to-wire.

The Bucks' advantage swelled as high as 36 points late in the fourth quarter. With the game well out of reach for the Mavericks with 2:15 remaining, Antetokounmpo playfully whipped a towel at Ervin from the sideline. Afterward, the veteran official burst into laughter as the two briefly exchanged words.

Many fans on X/Twitter appeared entertained by the lighthearted interaction.

"Unhinged Giannis is the best," @JacoboZakay23 said.

"Giannis the funny guy," @ParlayMo wrote.

"Nah, ain't no way we got Giannis rat-tailing refs before GTA 6," @hatefirstsports said.

However, others questioned the two-time MVP's thought process.

"Did he hit his a**? A freak for real," @ChadHodlLord wrote.

"Giannis, bruh, what was that?" @George8644Tai said.

"Him and that ref probably showered together," @VG07TV wrote.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo makes NBA history ahead of playful interaction with ref

Giannis Antetokounmpo made NBA history in multiple ways on Wednesday, leading up to his humorous late-game exchange with Mitchell Ervin.

With his 32-point effort, the nine-time All-Star became the 52nd player to reach the 20,000 career-point milestone. He is the sixth-youngest player to do so (30 years, 89 days), trailing NBA icons LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.

Moreover, per StatMamba, with his 32-point, 15-rebound combination, Antetokounmpo played the fewest minutes (25) in a 30/15 game of any player since 1967.

Thus, Antetokounmpo had plenty of reasons to be in a jovial mood amid his squad's fourth straight victory and eighth in nine outings.

Milwaukee (36-25) will look to extend its winning streak to five games on Saturday when it continues its three-game homestand against the Orlando Magic (29-34).

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