Giannis Antetokounmpo pushed back on Doc Rivers on Sunday night, days after his former Milwaukee Bucks coach questioned the Miami Heat star’s basketball IQ and how he went about leaving Milwaukee.

Rivers coached the Bucks for two and a half seasons before joining NBC as an analyst in September and took aim at his former player’s style of play during an episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast” last Thursday.

Heat Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Responds to Doc Rivers’ Controversial Criticism

“He has this great passing ability, but he doesn’t necessarily have this super IQ at the same time,” Rivers said. “It’s really a strange thing, and he really has one way: downhill, force, force. Every play, he wants to force it.”

Antetokounmpo was asked about those remarks after he exploded for 29 points and 14 rebounds in Miami’s 114-108 win over the Sacramento Kings, and the Heat forward answered at length.

The 10-time All-Star first met the question with one of his own: “Who said that?” Then he drew a firm line between his old coach and his new one.

“Oh, my God. First of all, he’s not my coach. My coach is Coach Spo. But he’s a guy, a coach that I’ve worked (with) in the past. I’m speechless,” Antetokounmpo said.

The Athletic’s Eric Nehm followed up on the podcast remarks, and the Heat star’s answer moved quickly from Rivers to Miami:

“You gotta go ask him why he thought that; that’s on him. That’s not on me. I gotta focus on my team and what I gotta do and how can I be better and how can I help the team.”

From there, Antetokounmpo turned his answer into a message for athletes in general.

“That’s crazy. Never let bitterness and pettiness get in front of your goals and dreams, man,” Antetokounmpo shared. “For every athlete out there, never let that (happen). That’s insane, but you gotta go ask him why he said what he said. Not me.”

Rivers’ criticism went beyond Antetokounmpo’s game. On the same podcast, the former Bucks coach gave his read on how the 31-year-old handled his exit from Milwaukee, a question that loomed over the franchise’s 2025-26 season:

“Giannis wanted out, but he was a Buck. And he didn’t want to be the bad guy. He wanted [general manager] Jon [Horst] and [owner] Wes [Edens] and those guys to say, ‘We’re trading you,’ instead of him asking for a trade. To me, that was the game that was being played.”

The Bucks ultimately moved Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to Miami over the summer for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, three first-round picks, a pick swap, and a second-round pick.

In public, Antetokounmpo had insisted throughout the 2025-26 campaign that he would “never” demand a trade. Yet as early as May 2025, he and his agent Alex Saratsis had reportedly made clear to Milwaukee that he wanted to find a new home.

Jason Kidd, who also coached the two-time MVP with the Bucks, addressed the same attacking style and said, “Giannis’ superpower is to get downhill, and he makes plays. And so, understanding Doc saying that about his IQ, I disagree with that. I think Giannis understands how to play the game.”

Erik Spoelstra, the coach Antetokounmpo pointed to, addressed Rivers’ remarks a day before the Kings game, explaining, “Look, I like Doc, and I respect him. This is our business now.”

All of this has played out during a slow start to Antetokounmpo’s first season in Miami. The Heat opened 2-5, and Sunday’s victory was their second in three games. They are now 4-6 and eighth in the Eastern Conference.

On Nov. 18, the Bucks, now 1-9, visit Kaseya Center, where Antetokounmpo will face the franchise he led to the 2021 NBA championship.