Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was impressive in his Olympic debut, beating Greece and Giannis Antetokounmpo 86-79 in the group stage.
And the victory didn’t come without some snide comments.
On Saturday in Villeneuve-d’Ascq, France, Thunder guard Gilgeous-Alexander, a two-time All-Star, appeared to utter some harsh words toward Greece’s Giannoulis Larentzakis just before the final buzzer sounded.
Antetokounmpo, the two-time NBA MVP, stepped in and elbowed Gilgeous-Alexander in the chest before the Canadian’s staff and teammates intervened.
It’s unclear exactly what their altercation was about, but it could have come down to some intense play in the final quarter.
Canada withstood a comeback attempt from Antetokounmpo, who scored 34 points, helping Greece rally from a 16-point deficit.
In the dying seconds of the game, Vassilis Triopoulos scored with 1 minute, 15 seconds left to put Greece within four.
2024 Paris Olympics
On the next possession, Canada committed a turnover and Antetokounmpo dunked to cut the lead to 80-78.
But Gilgeous-Alexander smashed a shot past Antetokounmpo’s 6-foot-11 frame with 42.8 seconds left to give Canada its first Olympic win in 24 years.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 21 points on 50 percent shooting, seven assists, four rebounds, two blocks and one steal.
Former Knicks guard RJ Barrett also scored 23 points in Saturday night’s Group A match.
The last time the men’s basketball team competed in the Summer Olympics was in 2000 in Sydney, Australia, but Canada had never played in the tournament until this year.
They earned this status by winning a bronze medal at the 2023 World Cup in the summer of this year.
Greece will face Spain at 5 a.m. ET on Tuesday, followed immediately by Canada taking on Australia at 7:30 a.m.
