Antetokounmpo says he is speechless and warns athletes against letting bitterness or pettiness get in the way
Giannis AntetokounmpoMiami Heat forward, speaking to reporters after a game against the Sacramento Kings
Giannis Antetokounmpo answers a question about Doc Rivers's comments after the Miami Heat's game in Sacramento on the night of November 8, 2026, Pacific time.
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Video: Eric Nehm, The Athletic, via X. Excerpt used for news reporting and commentary
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Antetokounmpo says Rivers is not his coach, that he is speechless and that reporters should ask Rivers why he said it, then tells athletes never to let bitterness or pettiness get in front of their goals.
Responding to
Giannis Antetokounmpo was difficult to coach and does not necessarily have a high basketball IQ, relying on one way of playing: attacking downhill and forcing the action.
“Never let bitterness or pettiness get in front of your goals and dreams.”
Original post
Reporting
Other statements by Giannis Antetokounmpo in this case
- Giannis Antetokounmpo says it is up to Rivers to explain his commentsLater: Explicitly stayed out
Where this statement fits
Doc Rivers questions Giannis Antetokounmpo's basketball IQ on a podcast; Antetokounmpo calls the remarks "crazy" and Rivers apologizes
In an episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast released late on November 5, 2026, U.S. Eastern time, former Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Giannis Antetokounmpo was "not easy" to coach because he plays at a "crazy downhill pace," and that he has "great passing ability" but "doesn't necessarily have the super IQ." Jason Kidd, who also coached Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, said on ESPN that he disagreed with Rivers about Antetokounmpo's IQ, and Skip Bayless said Rivers should have kept his view to himself. Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he likes and respects Rivers and that this is the team's business now. After a game in Sacramento on the night of November 8, Pacific time, Antetokounmpo said he was speechless, said reporters should ask Rivers why he said it and told athletes never to let bitterness or pettiness get in front of their goals. On November 9, Rivers told Andscape that he had meant to say "feel for the game," that he had texted Antetokounmpo an apology and that calling him not easy to coach was meant as a compliment.
Source and context
Original post
About this source
Nehm posts a 79-second video of Antetokounmpo after the Heat's game in Sacramento. A reporter asks how it feels to hear his former coach say he can be not so easy to coach; Antetokounmpo says Rivers is not his coach, that he is speechless, that the reporter should ask Rivers why he thought that, and that he has to focus on his team. The post text quotes part of the answer.
Watch the clip from this source at the top of the page.
Reporting
About this source
Awful Announcing transcribes Antetokounmpo's full answer after the Heat's 114-108 win over the Sacramento Kings, including his remark about bitterness and pettiness, and notes that Rivers is now an NBC analyst.
Before the quotation
After the Heat's 114-108 win over the Kings in Sacramento, a reporter asks Antetokounmpo how it feels to hear his former coach say he can be not so easy to coach. Antetokounmpo says Rivers is not his coach, that his coach is Erik Spoelstra and that he is speechless. He says reporters should ask Rivers why he thought that, that it is on Rivers and not on him, and that he has to focus on his team.
After the quotation
He says it is insane and repeats that reporters should ask Rivers, not him, why Rivers said what he said.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is Doc Rivers's remarks on The Bill Simmons Podcast that Antetokounmpo was not easy to coach and does not necessarily have the super IQ. Antetokounmpo calls the remarks crazy, says they are on Rivers and not on him, and answers them with a warning against bitterness and pettiness. That criticizes the remarks themselves rather than only disputing how his play is described.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Doc Rivers
More from this case
Read the full caseCarmelo Anthony questions why Rivers made his Antetokounmpo comments in public
“It's not a shot at him to say there's no finesse to his game ... So, to pinpoint just that part of his game, he's not saying nothing wrong, but it's just why, like, what is the point of saying that?”Read statement
Draymond Green says Rivers's IQ remark about Antetokounmpo comes off as personal
“But I will say I don't think Doc was just trying to shoot at Giannis. ... It definitely came off, you know, again, when you get name-calling ... you say he's not super high IQ and things like that, that comes off as personal. It just does.”Read statement
Rivers apologizes for the distraction and says his remark about Antetokounmpo was more of a compliment
“He makes unbelievable passes, but then at times, because of his force he plays at, it gets in the way of his feel. It was more of a compliment. I hate this and feel bad about it. I apologize for the distraction. I'm not trying to be one.”Read statement
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- Antetokounmpo says he is speechless and warns athletes against letting bitterness or pettiness get in the way
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The Dispute Index. "Antetokounmpo says he is speechless and warns athletes against letting bitterness or pettiness get in the way". First published: 2026-11-10. Last updated: 2026-11-10. https://disputeindex.com/events/8618-antetokounmpo-says-rivers-is-not-his-coach-that