One of the most memorable Boston Celtics moments from early in the 2024-25 season happened during a Nov. 11 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on the road.
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo hit Celtics forward Jaylen Brown with an elbow to the face and was called for an offensive foul. As the two of them jogged back down the court, Antetokounmpo did a fake high-five with Brown -- extending his hand and then pulling it back at the last second.
Brown wasn't pleased with Antetokounmpo after the game, saying "Giannis is a child. I'm just focused on helping my team get a win, and that's what we did tonight."
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There's more to the story.
According to Brown, Celtics center Luke Kornet was contemplating doing something with Antetokounmpo in Brown's defense, but he ultimately chose not to escalate the situation.
In a recent interview with NBC Sports Boston's Chris Forsberg, which can be watched in the video player above, Brown told the hilarious story.
"Luke came to me, and this was the first time I've seen Luke serious, and he said, 'I didn't like that.' He was straight faced," Brown said. "And I was like, 'It's whatever.' He was like, 'I should've done something.' I said, 'What were you gonna do, Luke?'"
It sounds like Kornet regrets not doing more in that moment.
"Lamenting that I wasn't more of an enforcer is exactly what happened," Kornet told Forsberg. "I'm generally a peacemaker type of person, but you realize sometimes there's an appropriate level of 'this is unacceptable.' I think I've been growing in my defending -- protecting justice?"
Brown also added, while laughing: "He was like, 'I should've done something. I didn't like that. I was right there, and I contemplated it, and I thought about it, and I analyzed it, and I did nothing. But I should have done something.'"
"I was just angry at myself for not having been like a vigilante and taking justice into my own hands," Kornet added.
When asked if he's ever been in a fight, Kornet explained he got three days of lunch duty once as a kid before saying the real answer is, "No, not really."
It's always good to stick up for your teammates, but Kornet probably made the right decision not to engage with Antetokounmpo. In the end, the Celtics won the game, which is what's more important.
