Not so long ago, Serge Ibaka was considered one of the prime rim protectors in the NBA, and his presence gave Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks strong depth off the bench.
But Ibaka’s tenure in Wisconsin didn’t exactly go down in the way he expected. His playing time diminshed, as usually happens with aging players, but they never gave him an explanation.
That’s why the former Oklahoma City Thunder standout didn’t hesitate to put the team and former coach Mike Budenholzer on blast, ripping him for how they dealt with his situation.
Serge Ibaka Takes A Shot At Mike Budenholzer
“(Budenholzer) told me to my face,” Ibaka told Shams Charania. ‘Listen, you’re coming here, I promise you nothing, but you never know, it’s a long season, guys can have injuries, you have to stay ready’.”
“Going there, I said, ‘cool, I’m going to stay ready,’ Ibaka added. “I’m a professional and so grateful to be in this position. It’s a blessing no matter if I am playing or not. But now when things start getting more confused for me mentally was like when a guy got injured and nobody called my name to play. And when those guys came back, that’s when you called me. And then I play one game and then you don’t play me for three weeks? On top of that, there was no communication, so that’s mainly the reason why I left.”
“When I go talk to the front office, they tell me different things,” the big man continued. “They love me. They want me to be there, they want me to stay. And when I go back on the court, it’s different. It got to some point where I cannot take this anymore. I love this game so much, but if this is going to take my peace of mind, my joy, it’s not worth it. I earned my respect in this league. At least communicate. I’m not asking about playing, I’m just asking for communication.”
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Milwaukee Bucks sign "familiar" player to help Giannis Antetokounmpo
At the end of the day, this is a business, and most organizations deal with it as such. But players are also human beings, and all they want is to know what’s going on.
