Giannis claps back at Cade Cunningham and Malik Beasley in a rare show of swagger.

Known for his humble demeanor, dad jokes, and team-first mentality, Giannis Antetokounmpo has never been the face of NBA drama. But during Friday’s matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons, a different, more fiery version of the “Greek Freak” emerged—and it didn’t go unnoticed.

A leaked courtside audio clip from the Bucks’ 125-119 win captured a rare sequence of heated trash-talk between Giannis and Cade Cunningham, followed by a late-game trolling session against former teammate Malik Beasley.

It all began in the second quarter when Cade Cunningham drove to the rim and drew a foul on Kyle Kuzma. Giannis immediately contested the call, arguing it should be an on-the-ground foul instead of a shooting one.

Cade, heading to the free-throw line, muttered, “That’s clearly a shooting foul. Goddamn, line it up, man.” 

After draining the first free throw, Cunningham pointed at Giannis in an attempt to get under his skin. What followed was something rarely heard from the usually composed Antetokounmpo.

“N***a, what the f**k are you talking about?” Giannis shot back, clearly irritated. Cade, clearly amused and a bit stunned, broke into laughter and said, “Hey, I didn’t know he talked like that.” 

As he returned to the line, he kept laughing, while Giannis, still visibly annoyed, said, “What is he talking about, man?”

It was an uncharacteristically raw moment from the Bucks superstar, whose command of English is still sometimes used against him. But he let his play—and his words—do the talking.

Giannis responded with a dominant all-around performance, finishing with 32 points, 15 assists, and 11 rebounds, guiding Milwaukee to their seventh straight victory and clinching the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.

However, the drama didn’t stop there. Late in the fourth quarter, Antetokounmpo blocked a three-point attempt from Malik Beasley, who had been taunting the Bucks all night with his shimmy celebration after made buckets.

Giannis immediately hit Beasley with a shimmy of his own while standing over him, igniting a second confrontation. Beasley, clearly annoyed, pushed Giannis’s hand away as he tried to gesture again.

Giannis taunted, “I know you already,” referencing their time together in Milwaukee. Beasley shot back, “Don’t do that. Don’t do that s**t,” before yelling, “F**k outta here.”

The back-and-forth earned both players a double technical foul, and Giannis appeared confused about his penalty.

After the game, Beasley added fuel to the fire on social media, tweeting, “Let someone stand over you, hit your ish, then try to help me up… In what world would you let that slide in? Idc how goofy he is lol.”

While a playoff rematch between the Bucks and Pistons isn’t possible due to seeding, Friday’s game showcased a more aggressive, outspoken side of Giannis—a side willing to talk, troll, and back it all up on the scoreboard.