The viral video of Giannis Antetokounmpo slapping his Greek teammate got more context.
New Video Surfaces of Giannis Antetokounmpo Slapping Teammate originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
During Greece's team huddle on Saturday, a viral video showed Giannis Antetokounmpo slapping his teammate, Giannoulis Larentzakis, in the back of the head. The slap appeared unprompted, certainly stirring some controversy. At first glance, it wasn't clear if the slap was playful or malicious.
Hitting a teammate seemed out of character for someone like the Milwaukee Bucks star. Throughout his NBA career, he has never been one to fight with a teammate. There has not been one single report of Antetokounmpo getting into an altercation with any Bucks player since he entered the NBA in 2013.
There doesn't appear to be any bad blood between Antetokounmpo and Larentzakis, as, per EuroHoops, "They grew up together with Giannis Antetokounmpo, attended the same high school and they are close friends, still this slap after the game vs Montenegro was totally unexpected."
Following the slap, more videos have come out giving more context on the situation. It appears Antetokounmpo's slap was more playful than anything else. The X account MrBuckBuck shared alternate angles along with how their Greek teammates reacted to the situation.
"Alternate angles of the Giannis 'slap'. No 5 Larentzakis, seems to be unbothered and Papanikolaou, Thanasis, Tyler Dorsey, and Nikos Netzipoglou crack up in the background," he wrote.
Alternate angles of the Giannis "slap". No 5 Larentzakis, seems to be unbothered and Papanikolaou, Thanasis, Tyler Dorsey, and Nikos Netzipoglou crack up in the background
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) August 17, 2025
Via: https://t.co/kjzhgXMMA8pic.twitter.com/3zR3xVloFF
So it appears this was nothing more than a friendly interaction between teammates.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Has an Aggressive Side, Though
While Antetokounmpo doesn't have a reputation for not getting along with his teammates, he has gotten into it with opponents and even relatives of opponents. When the Indiana Pacers eliminated the Bucks in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, the two-time MVP notoriously got into it with Tyrese Haliburton's father.
Afterward, Antetokounmpo admitted to reporters that he thought Haliburton's dad was just a fan while admitting he has no issue with Haliburton himself (h/t ESPN's Jamal Collier).
However, Antetokounmpo has gotten into fights recently and during his career's earlier stages. More recently, he got into a skirmish with Bennedict Matthurin during that same Pacers playoff series, while back in 2015, he took what appeared to be a cheap shot at former Chicago Bulls wing Mike Dunleavy.
It hasn't been a regular occurrence, but the Bucks star has shown himself to lose his temper. Luckily, with his Greek teammates, his slap was all in good fun, and it may be repeated again in the future, but he has shown his aggressive side when pushed to it in the NBA.
Related: Bucks Forward Shuts Down Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Rumors
Related: NBA Legend Kevin Garnett Had Strong Words for Giannis Antetokounmpo
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
