Bobby Portis just violated the NBA's unwritten rule about not criticizing referees a few days ago, but to be candid about it, someone needed to say those things. Because the officiating double standard against Giannis Antetokounmpo just isn't subtle anymore as of late. It's blatant, and now his teammates are publicly calling it out.
Two-time MVP Giannis will be out 1-2 weeks due to a groin injury. The Bucks will look to hold it down without him, but even when he's out there, teammate Bobby Portis feels like the refs are hard on Giannis.
In an interview with Run it Back on FanDuel TV, Portis didn't hold back about what he's been watching all season.
"You know, I don't want to get fined or anything, though, but the refs are kind of hard on Giannis out there on the court, man. You know, going back, watching some Shaq tape, man, they kind of treat him like Shaq on the court, for real, man," he said.
The officiating bias against Giannis Antetokounmpo is officially undeniable
The Shaq comparison is accurate. Shaquille O'Neal, too, got mauled every possession without calls because refs decided he was too strong to deserve normal foul protection. Now Giannis is living that same reality decades later.
Portis didn't stop there. He pointed to a specific play against the Cleveland Cavaliers as proof of the bias.
"It's like, for real, for real, though, teams can just beat him up, throw him on the ground, things like that, and the one play he did get hurt. He actually got fouled, and then the next possession on their end, Jarett Allen got a ticky-tack call, so, definitely we get roughed a little bit different."
That's the part that should infuriate everyone. Giannis gets injured on a play where he's clearly fouled with no whistle, then Cleveland immediately gets a soft call on the other end. The contrast exposes everything wrong with how refs officiate Milwaukee's best player.
The NBA's officiating bias against the Bucks is becoming undeniable when their own players are publicly complaining despite knowing it'll cost them money. Portis knows he's getting fined for these comments, but he clearly felt it needed to be said.
To recall, Doc Rivers already went on record earlier this season about the Giannis officiating issue. Now his players are echoing the same concerns independently. So the question should be this: at what point does the league have to acknowledge there's a pattern here?
Portis also addressed the bigger picture facing Milwaukee without their superstar in the coming weeks.
"I think first and foremost, you know, just how we've been playing, man. We got to play better, obviously. We win one, lose one. Obviously, we're on a skid now, so got to get right, got to get better, keep trending in the right direction, but […] I think the next couple weeks, man, we just lock in, and our chemistry and our camaraderie have to be next level. [We] gotta just lock in as much as we can and pull together, pull for each other, especially when guys are down."
He's right that Milwaukee needs to improve regardless of officiating. But it's hard to ignore how much easier their job would be if Giannis got even half the foul calls that other superstars receive automatically.
The refs have created an environment where defenders can physically assault Giannis without consequences. It's also incredibly dangerous, as evidenced by the groin injury that's now costing Milwaukee their best player for weeks.
Portis said what everyone's been thinking. Now let's see if the league actually does anything about it or if they just fine him and move on like the problem doesn't exist.
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