Oscar Tshiebwe, a young talent who moved to the United States from the Democratic Republic of Congo as a teenager to pursue his basketball dreams, fulfilled his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA in his debut with the Indiana Pacers last night.
In the match between the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks, Tshiebwe scored his first point as a Pacer. In order to celebrate this, the Pacers made a move which resulted in a controversy with Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Who is Oscar Tshiebwe?
Oscar Tshiebwe, a player for the Indiana Pacers, is a native of Lubumbashi, Congo. He also has a two-way contract with the Indiana Mad Ants, the team’s G League affiliate. During his collegiate basketball career, he played for the Kentucky Wildcats and the West Virginia Mountaineers. In 2022, he won the national player of the year award.
The 24-year-old signed a two-way contract in July after going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft. As a freshman, the centre averaged 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, making him a formidable player for the Mountaineers. He finished 10 games as a sophomore with 8.5 points and 7.8 rebounds before leaving West Virginia for personal reasons.
How he got involved in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s game ball fiasco?
Oscar Tshiebwe, a rookie for the Indiana Pacers, was indirectly involved in a postgame altercation in what turned out to be a peculiar conclusion following a historic performance by Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Pacers 140-126, thanks to a game-high 64 points and 14 rebounds from Antetokounmpo.
Giannis scored more points than the previous franchise high of 57, which was set in 2006 by Michael Redd. The situation began to unfold after the game when Antetokounmpo attempted to locate the ball used in the game. Antetokounmpo ran through the tunnel to their locker room to get the game ball after it appeared to be taken by a Pacers team official.
A few moments later, he returned to the court without the ball and was observed getting into a heated argument with assistant coach Lloyd Pierce and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton. Eventually, he made his way from the court to the Bucks’ locker room.
In order to honour Tshiebwe, who scored his first NBA point in the game after making a free throw late in the fourth quarter, Pacers coach Rick Carlisle disclosed that there had been a misunderstanding regarding the game ball. After the game, Antetokounmpo said he was aware that the Pacers had stolen the ball. In the end, the Pacers gave it to the Bucks, but Antetokounmpo wasn’t sure if it was the real game ball.
“I have a ball, but I don’t know if it’s the game ball,” Antetokounmpo said. “It doesn’t feel like the game ball to me. It feels like a brand-new ball. I played what, 35 minutes today? I know how the game ball felt. The ball that I have — which I’ll take and give to my mom, for sure — I don’t know if it’s actually the game ball, but it’s OK. Lives continue.”
What are your thoughts on Giannis’s Game ball fiasco? Feel free to share with us in the comments below.
