Giannis Antetokounmpo poked fun at Mavericks coach Jason Kidd during the Bucks’ win over Dallas on Monday. Kidd, who coached Antetokounmpo from his second NBA season in 2014 up until 2018, oversaw Antetokounmpo’s development into one of the league’s best players.
As part of Antetokounmpo’s development, Kidd encouraged him not to take many three-point shots as he worked to become an all-around player. On Monday, Antetokounmpo burned Kidd for this when he successfully made a deep three-pointer late in the fourth quarter of the game, one of his two three-point attempts on the night.
“That was for him,” Antetokounmpo said. “When I was younger, he told me not to shoot threes. I was like 19, 20, he told me not to shoot threes. Figure out a way to find angles and facilitate for your teammates, post up. He helped me a lot, but I think he took away from my game when I was younger because I wasn’t able to develop that as fast as I would. So when I made it, I said ‘That’s for you, for all the torture you put me through.’”
Giannis Antetokounmpo says his deep three against the Mavericks was for Jason Kidd
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) November 11, 2025
“When I was younger, he told me not to shoot threes… So when I made it, I said ‘That’s for you, for all the torture you put me through.’”pic.twitter.com/RetX7BEYLQ
On a more serious note, Antetokounmpo believes Kidd will have a similar impact on young Mavericks rookie guard Cooper Flagg, who he describes as a high-IQ player that has a high ceiling.
“Kidd is okay,” he joked, prompting a laugh from reporters. “Helped me a lot. One of my mentors, still talk to him to this day... Just to look out for me and tell me, this is what you gotta look out for, this is how you got to work in order for you to be great, this is how you gotta think about if you want to carry a team. I think it’s big. Just being able to have a guy like that next to you, it’s a blessing. You saw what he was able to do with (guard) Luka (Dončić)... I think it’s gonna be the same with Cooper. It was the same for me.”
Antetokounmpo also said, “Obviously (Flagg) has a great coach that will give him the opportunity to have the ball in his hands because that’s very important in our league, especially when you’re young.... to have a coach that’s able to trust you with the ball down the stretch or trust you... it’s a plus.”
Likewise, Kidd noted that working with Antetokounmpo has affected how he’ll go about developing Flagg. “I think definitely, going through it with Giannis, a lot of people disagreed, but I think it turned out alright. You’re in the moment, but also you gotta push to see what’s coming in the future... (Giannis's) skillset of his passing, he was always one that was unselfish. The windows that he has at 6-foot-11, it’s like no other. To be able use that window as a weapon like he has, it makes him one of the best players in the world.”
Jason Kidd on going through Giannis Antetokounmpo’s development with him in Milwaukee and if that has influenced how he approaches Cooper Flagg’s development:
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) November 11, 2025
“I think definitely going through it with Giannis, a lot of people disagreed, but I think it turned out alright. You’re… pic.twitter.com/9ciHQnFcEA
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Giannis Had Savage Message for Jason Kidd After Hitting Deep Three vs. Mavs.
