Dwyane Wade swaps jerseys and praises Giannis Antetokounmpo after Milwaukee Bucks blow out Miami Heat
Saturday 23 March 2019 07:34, UK
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks won the game. Dwyane Wade countered with a classy move as the Miami Heat trudged off the court.
Antetokounmpo scored 27 points, had eight rebounds and seven assists after missing two games with a sprained right ankle and helped the NBA-leading Bucks to an easy 116-87 victory over the Heat on Friday night.
Wade and Antetokounmpo gave each other their respective jerseys after the game. Khris Middleton peeled off his uniform top and handed it to Wade, too.
"Big moment for me," Antetokounmpo said of the exchange. "I had a chance to talk to him a little bit, thank him for everything he did for the game. [He's a] Hall of Famer, three-time champ, one of the best players to ever play the game. Just him giving me his jersey and me giving my jersey, it is big."
Antetokounmpo wasn't shy about getting his game-used jerseys signed.
"You know, I sent it back to D-Wade so he can sign them," Antetokounmpo said. "He sent it back to me signed."
Wade said he enjoyed watching football and soccer players swap jerseys after the game.
"It's a sign of respect," Wade said. "[With this being,] my last year, I wanted to do something that's kind of cool and show a sign of respect."
Wade, who is in his 15th season with Miami and the final of 16 seasons overall, hustled back to the Heat locker room, grabbed a spare jersey and sent it over to Middleton in the Bucks' locker room.
Middleton was touched by Wade's move.
"He is definitely a mentor, somebody I watch from afar," Middleton said. "One of my favorite players growing up. Still one of my favourite players to this day."
Wade was honoured with a video tribute of his days starring at Wisconsin-based university Marquette (2001-03) during a timeout in the first quarter. He tapped his heart and smiled when he was shown on the video display. He also got a standing ovation from the sellout crowd.
"It was cool when they flashed to me," Wade said. "They caught me smiling and reminiscing on highlights."
Unfortunately for the Heat, there was little else to celebrate.
"Being on the floor with Giannis and his ability to drive and the shooters they put around him make them tough to guard," Wade said. "We haven't cracked the code yet."
On the other hand, the Bucks had an answer for whatever the Heat tried.
"We're an attack-the-paint team and they basically shut that off," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It obviously required one of our better games and it was probably one of our poorer games we've had in a while."
Middleton added 18 points and 10 assists for a career-best three consecutive games with a double-double for Milwaukee, who improved to 29-6, the second-best home record in the NBA behind the Denver Nuggets (30-6).
The win came with a brief scare for the Bucks. Antetokounmpo went down in a mix of players after stealing a pass from Goran Dragic early in the second quarter. Milwaukee immediately called a timeout and after a few moments, Antetokounmpo limped to the bench favouring his right leg. A short rest got him right back on the court.
