Giannis Antetokounmpo is beefing with Mario Hezonja

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 03: Mario Hezonja #8 of the New York Knicks in action against the Brooklyn Nets during a preseason game at Barclays Center on October 3, 2018 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /

Mario Hezonja dunked on Giannis Antetokounmpo. Hezonja then stepped over Giannis, who didn’t take it so well. Now, we have beef. Weird beef

Has there ever been an NBA beef between two players whose names are ultra hard to spell?

I can’t think of one, which is why the new Giannis Antetokounmpo-Mario Hezonja beef is so weird and great at the same time. Yes, you read that correctly — Giannis, one of the top NBA players in the game today, is angry at Hezonja, a player who was supposed to be at Giannis’ level, but is now a scorer off the bench.

How did this erupt? Let me explain.

On Dec. 1, the rebuilding New York Knicks nabbed one of their most impressive wins of the season by holding off the high-powered Bucks 136-134. Emmanuel Mudiay, who has keyed New York’s resurgence, led the team with 28 points. Hezonja, who started, only had two points, but it was how he got those two would matter, greatly, to Giannis.

Check out the video below, and you’ll see what I mean:

Yep, Hezonja decided to let Giannis know what happened to him by stepping over him, which is one of the ultimate signs of disrespect in the game. Giannis was not happy about that move, and in the postgame interview, he didn’t mince his words:

When Hezonja got word of what Giannis said after the game, he offered this quite to Newsday’s Steve Pepper:

Hezonja on stepping over Antetokounmpo: Honestly, if you’re afraid, this is not for you. I don’t want to be disrespectful, but if you feel fear this is not the place for you, New York is not a place for you and this team is not a place for you. https://t.co/8j7hfo8I40
— Steve Popper (@StevePopper) December 2, 2018

One question: Where was this Hezonja in Orlando?

Next. Would you rather be 0-12 or 1-18, and other important bad shooting debates. dark

Anyway, the Giannis-Hezonja rivalry is now born, and, lucky for us, these two will meet again on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden. It’s a weird beef, actually, but in the days of bromance in the NBA, we’ll take what we can get.

Oh, how we love beef and the holidays.

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