Lakers News

Gilbert Arenas clowns Giannis’ ‘Hakeem’ move during preseason game vs. Lakers

Published by
Peter Dewey

Former NBA guard Gilbert Arenas clowned Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo for one of his moves during the team’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Antetokounmpo’s move out of the post was compared to that of former Houston Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon, but Arenas believes that the Bucks star traveled on the play.

In the video, there is certainly a lot of shuffling and moving going on with Antetokounmpo’s pivot foot, which normally would result in a travel. However, it was not called in the game.

Arenas, who has a big personality, wasn’t afraid to call it out on social media.

Since it’s just a preseason game, Lakers fans shouldn’t be too worried about Antetokounmpo getting away with a possible violation.

The Lakers ended up losing to the Bucks on Sunday, dropping them to 2-3 in the preseason.

The team sat several key players including superstar LeBron James, forward Jarred Vanderbilt (who is dealing with a heel injury), guard Gabe Vincent and guard Austin Reaves.

That allowed the Lakers to get longer looks at players like Cam Reddish (10 points, five rebounds, 4-for-11 shooting) and Max Christie (10 points, four rebounds, one steal, 4-for-10 shooting).

Both players could factor into the Lakers’ rotation as the season opens if they impress head coach Darvin Ham.

Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are working on gaining chemistry with new guard Damian Lillard who was acquired in a trade this offseason.

Antetokounmpo, a two-time league MVP, appeared to be in peak form in Sunday’s game, scoring 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting while adding eight rebounds, one assist and two blocks in limited minutes.

Lillard finished with 14 points for the Bucks, but he shot just 3-for-10 from the field and 2-for-7 from beyond the arc in the game.

It’s hard to read too much into preseason games since teams don’t play their normal rotations, so Lakers fans shouldn’t be too worried about the team’s subpar record in the preseason.

As for Antetokounmpo, he may need to clean up his footwork on the move he used against Los Angeles before more people than just Arenas call him out for traveling.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.

Published by
Peter Dewey

Recent Posts

Anthony Davis makes succinct statement about facing Lakers: ‘No emotions’

Dallas Mavericks star big man Anthony Davis is slated to face off against his former…

April 6, 2025

Skip Bayless implies LeBron James stat padded vs. Pelicans: ‘Highly unimpressive points’

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James put together yet another big scoring performance in his…

April 5, 2025

T-Mac says LeBron would get ‘crushed’ in 1-on-1 vs. NBA players: ‘And I’m sure LeBron would tell you that’

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has been a phenomenal scorer throughout his lengthy stint…

April 3, 2025

Nick Young says Anthony Davis shouldn’t feel betrayed by Lakers: ‘It’s Luka we talking about’

It has been around two months now since the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks…

April 2, 2025

LeBron says we didn’t see the ‘complete Kobe Bryant’ until years after Shaq was traded away

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was one of the premier players in the NBA…

April 2, 2025

Report: Ex-Lakers star emerges as favorite to be proposed the position of CEO of NBA Europe league

The NBA is seemingly exploring the idea of establishing its own league on the continent…

April 1, 2025