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Serge Ibaka, Antetokounmpo banter about Giannis joining Raptors (VIDEO)

Adam Laskaris
Adam Laskaris
|
Nov 15 2022, 4:21 pm
Serge Ibaka, Antetokounmpo banter about Giannis joining Raptors (VIDEO)
Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Toronto Raptors fans have always had two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo on their radar.

The Raptors faced off ā€” and beat ā€” Antetokounmpo in both the 2017 and 2019 playoffs, the latter of which was one of the Raptors’ most iconic playoff series wins to date.

And despite being a rival for a long time, the thought of Giannis potentially playing in Toronto was tantalizing for many Raptors fans. With Giannis set to hit free agency in 2021, there was an outside chance that the Milwaukee Bucks star could end up in a Raptors uniform one day.

But Antetokounmpo signed a five-year, $228 million extension in December 2020 in Milwaukee, quashing any hopes that he’d be heading north.

And he’s done nothing but lived up to the contract; Antetokounmpo has averaged 31.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in 10 games this season ā€” putting himself in the conversation for MVP once again, while also leading Milwaukee to the 2021 NBA title.

It seems like Antetokounmpo is a Buck for life, or at least through the rest of his prime.

Well, enter former Raptors fan favourite and current teammate of Antetokounmpo, Serge Ibaka, to stir the pot.

“True or false: one day, Giannis will play for the Toronto Raptors?” Ibaka asked Antetokounmpo on an episode of his How Hungry Are You? cooking show that aired this week.

“False,” Antetokounmpo replied.

So, that settles that. But, well, not so fast.

The full clip shows that it wasn’t exactly easy for Antetokounmpo to say “false.”

“Be careful with your answer because everything that stays here ā€” is gonna stay forever,” Ibaka joked.

“What if they offer me a contract? And I cannot take it because… [of what I said here?]” Antetokounmpo said. “For everybody out there, I want you guys to know that I’m authentic and I’m a man of my word and Serge is making it hard for me. You’re making it hard for me to be a man of my word because you want me to say ‘false’ and then if they offer me a contract, which I have to take to benefit my kids, what will I say?”

The full video is available below, with the Raptors question coming at the 16:37 mark:

Never say never, we guess?

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