Giannis Antetokounmpo had fans wondering about the black eye he sported during Saturday's game against the Sacramento Kings, and his explanation turned out to be as heroic as it was unexpected.
Following the Milwaukee Bucks' tight 135–133 loss against the Kings, Giannis told reporters that the injury happened when he intervened during an attempted robbery at a Pick' n Save grocery store in Milwaukee.
"Actually, I was in Pick' n Save, right?" Giannis recalled. "While I was checking out my groceries, there was this guy who was about to snatch a purse from a lady. So I was like, 'Hey man, what are you doing? Stop!' I went and grabbed him, and he kind of turned and elbowed me in the eye."
The two-time MVP didn't back down, though: "I grabbed him, put him on the floor, took the purse, gave it to the lady, and the lady was safe. I paid for her groceries too, because she was in shock. The police came and took the guy into custody. After that, I just went back home, did some treatment, and took a nap."
Fans praised the Greek Freak online for his good deed, turning his black eye into a symbol of off-court heroism. Despite the bruise, Giannis still turned in another strong performance against Sacramento, finishing with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists.
The Bucks remain one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference with a 4–2 record, and Giannis continues to dominate the early NBA season as he's averaging 34.2 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists while shooting an astonishing 68.4% from the field.