Celtics’ Jaylen Brown Calls Giannis Antetokounmpo ‘Child’

Jaylen Brown returned to the Celtics lineup in a 113-107 win against the Milwaukee Bucks after missing the last four games for Boston with a strained left hip flexor.

The Celtics star had a modest 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in 37 minutes of action, but the highlight of his game came when he took an elbow to the head courtesy of Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo — which resulted in a strange altercation between the two.

Antetokounmpo attempted to keep things light on the court with a childish prank, but Brown didn’t appreciate the fake-out.

“Giannis is a child,” Brown told reporters after the Celtics win, per NBC Sports Boston. “I’m just focused on helping my team get a win, and that’s what we did tonight.”

The 2021 NBA champion and Finals MVP said he would do it all over again if he had the opportunity.

“… It’s who I am. I play the game with fun, joy,” Antetokounmpo said, per 97.3 The Game. “I mess around so I can stay young myself. … At the end of the day, I think he’s an incredible player. He always does the right thing to help his team win. But, I’m just going to continue to be me. At the end of the day, if I’m called a child, so be it.”

Antetokounmpo added with a smile, “If I had another opportunity, I’d do it again.”

The interaction probably fueled Brown and his Celtics teammates, who were off to a slow start and trailed the Bucks by 11 at the half and as many as 17 in the contest.

Despite Antetokounmpo dropping 42 against the Celtics, Boston got the last laugh, outscored Milwaukee 29-15 in the third quarter and held on for the regular-season sweep.