Site icon Side Action

Monty Williams Didn’t Know Giannis Antetokounmpo Was Leading Him into Bucks’ Locker Room

SGKing
A clearly emotional Monty Williams went into the Bucks locker room after losing the championship to congratulate Giannis and the Milwaukee team

Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams watches during the first half of Game 3 of basketball's NBA Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks in Milwaukee, Sunday, July 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Following the Suns loss to the Bucks in the Finals, Phoenix Suns head coach was spotted in the opposing team’s locker room giving a speech. Some questioned the move, and why he would actually give a speech to a team he just got beat by. But Williams says he thought Antetokounmpo was leading him into a side office, not the middle of the locker room.

Williams, via Sam Amick of The Athletic:

“You know what man, I heard about what was made of it after the fact. And to be straight with you, it happened so quick. All I wanted to do was congratulate Giannis, because I came right out of a press conference and I shut the door and I went right into him. And he was sitting there with a cigar in his hands, soaking wet from — I guess — the champagne, and he had a bottle in his hand (laughs). So I’m thinking to myself, ‘How cool is this, man?’ (laughs). I come right out of my press conference, I’m emotional, and then I run right into him and I just wanted to be gracious and say ‘Congrats. You deserved it. You beat us.’

I wasn’t trying to do anything (in the Bucks locker room), I was just trying to congratulate Giannis, and I thought maybe he’d take me to a side office where Bud (Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer) and (Bucks general manager) Jon (Horst) were and I was just going to congratulate them and maybe see a couple of their players. I had no idea that he was going to take me into the whole deal (laughs), but it was cool because I had so much respect for him.

Yeah, he was like ‘Come on, Coach,’ and I was like, ‘OK.’ I didn’t know their locker room, and it was all done authentically. I wasn’t trying to be a great sportsman. I wasn’t trying to be classy, any of that. I was just doing what I was taught, you know? When you lose, you look the guy in the eye, you shake his hand — as hard as it is — and maybe someday you get a chance to be on the other side of that.”

Giannis is really the guy responsible, not sure  why he would lead Monty into the locker room, but it ended up being a nice moment.

Williams handled that surprise visit very well…

Welcome to the game outside the game! Follow us on our Sideaction Twitter handle, Instagram, and Facebook for the latest on sports and pop culture news across the web!

🔥 Hot from Side Action 🔥