Giannis Antetokounmpo is getting Shaquille O’Neal comparison and deservedly so. Even the Los Angeles Lakers willingly gave the Milwaukee Bucks star the Superman title at one point.
The Greek Freak never directly stated that he is accepting the New Shaq tag but there’s one thing he thought they are similar about – the way they are treated by game officials.
Shaq is huge and is a force down low. That is why he is called The Most Dominant One. His size and dominance allowed the refs to let opponents by physical on him. And he still gets the job done. That’s how Giannis is feeling right now after a physical treatment from the Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
AND-ONE. 😤
Giannis finishes through the contact. pic.twitter.com/WEz6Q0d9CC
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 8, 2026
The specific play was when he was hit on the face by Draymond Green while driving for a lay-up. He still made the shot and it was ruled a regular foul.
Antetokounmpo suggested he is not getting the calls that other superstars get and he knows why.
“I think, and maybe because I play through contact and I don’t manipulate the game, I try to play a fair game, try to play an honest game,” he told reporters after the game.
“I don’t think I’ve ever, you’ve never seen a play of me going down and be like ahhh, a flail, a flop,” Antetokounmpo said. “If I fall on the floor, usually somebody pushed me or somebody hit me in my face, right? So, I just don’t understand.”
Even his coach Doc Rivers has the same complaint and thought Green should have been called for a flagrant for the play.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is hard to officiate
Giannis still managed to finish with a game high 34 points in the loss while also shooting 68.2 percent overall. He went to the line 22 times and made 15.
Although he was rewarded with freebies, what he has gripe about is the way things are called – what’s over the line and what’s not.
It is not just the Draymond foul. The 2021 champ thought he’s being mistreated because of his own dominant.
“Sometimes I watch plays and I have my people that are around me, my coaches telling me hey man, you’re so hard to be officiated and you’re having the Shaq treatment,” he continued.
“Like, they foul you and they don’t call nothing because you play through contact. So, yeah, I understand that. And I’m OK with that. I love it. I love playing that way.”
He clarified in the end that he understands the referees’ POV, acknowledging that they are only humans who can make mistakes but also called on improved officiating.
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