[Giannis] on being booed at home: “I was definitely booing back… I don’t think anybody has the right to tell me what or how I should act on the basketball court after I’ve been here 13 years and I’m basically the all-time leader in everything… Maybe my voice is just a broken record.”
“I was definitely booing back,” Antetokounmpo said. “When I get booed, I boo back. I’ve been doing that all season. You guys haven’t been with me on the road. Whenever I get booed, I boo back.”
“It does not matter,” Antetokounmpo said. “I play basketball for my teammates. I play basketball for myself and my family. When people don’t believe in me, I don’t tend to be with them. I tend to be against them. I tend to do what I’m here to do, what I’m good at. I think I’m like a maverick. I’ve always been that way, so it won’t change now. It doesn’t matter if I’m at home or away. But yeah, I’ve never been a part of something like that before and I don’t think it’s fair. I don’t.”
“But everybody has their opinion to do what they want to do,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m not gonna tell them what to do and how they should act when we don’t play hard or when we lose games, or when we’re not where we’re supposed to be. And I don’t think anybody has the right to tell me what or how I should act on the basketball court after I’ve been here 13 years and I’m basically the all-time leader in everything.”
“Maybe my voice is just a broken record and guys are tired (of hearing it) and guys might tend to do what they want to do,” Antetokounmpo said. “I don’t know, but as a leader, it doesn’t matter. Being a leader is like the same thing as being a dad. You just gotta keep on being available, keep being consistent with your words and your actions over and over and over again and one day, you hope that the message is going to go through.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6968562/2026/01/14/bucks-lose-timberwolves-giannis-boos/