Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo played their Saturday match against the Sacramento Kings with a black eye, leaving fans trying to figure out how he sustained the bruise.
But following the game, Antetokounmpo, 30, revealed that he sustained the off-court injury while trying to prevent a crime at a Pick’ n Save grocery store in Milwaukee.
“Actually, I was in Pick’ n Save, right?” the Greek-Nigerian NBA star said, per Complex. “While I was checking out my groceries, there was this guy who was about to snatch a purse from a lady. So I was like, ‘Hey man, what are you doing? Stop!’ I went and grabbed him, and he kind of turned and elbowed me in the eye.”
The injury, however, did not stop him from helping the unidentified woman. “I grabbed him, put him on the floor, took the purse, gave it to the lady, and the lady was safe,” Antetokounmpo said.
“I paid for her groceries too, because she was in shock. The police came and took the guy into custody. After that, I just went back home, did some treatment, and took a nap.”
Despite the bruise and their 135–133 loss to the Kings, Antetokounmpo still had an impressive performance, as he ended the game with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists.
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Though Antetokounmpo is a household name in the United States and NBA, he recently said that he intends to return to his native Greece and also end his professional career there, Face2Face Africa reported.
Antetokounmpo was born to Nigerian parents in Athens, Greece, and he is the third of their five sons. He started his professional basketball career with the Greek side Filathlitikos before the Bucks selected him with the 15th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
Antetokounmpo has since had a stellar NBA career, as he won the 2021 championship with the Bucks. He also has several personal accolades to his name, including being a two-time MVP and nine-time NBA All-Star.
Despite making a name for himself in the league, Antetokounmpo stated that he does not intend to stay in the United States, as he wants to hang up his jersey in his native Greece.
“I’m 30 years old, I can play in the NBA until I’m 36-38. I’d like to end my career in a Greek team, why not?” Antetokounmpo, who is preparing for his 13th NBA season, said on ANT1’s The 2night Show, per BasketNews.
“I don’t want to live in the United States. As soon as I leave the NBA, I want to return to Greece. I could end my career here, whether this team is called Filathlitikos, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, or Aris, I’m talking about all the teams now.”
