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By Megan Armstrong
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The Milwaukee Bucks fired head coach Doc Rivers after a disastrous season that ended with a 32-50 record and underscored the likelihood that Giannis Antetokounmpo will not be a Buck next season.
Five days prior, ESPN's Shams Charania had published a lengthy report on the "fractured relationship" between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.
Charania wrote that Rivers declined to comment on his relationship with his players for the story, but Rivers publicly scratched Charania's reporting on FanDuel's "Run It Back."
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Rivers said he and Antetokounmpo "have a great relationship" and called Charania's report "so inaccurate" and "taken out of context."
"Where's Woj?" Rivers said, referencing former ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski. "I miss Woj so much."
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Rivers referenced a joke he made during the NBA All-Star Weekend that "Giannis should trade Shams" in reaction to the rampant trade speculation surrounding Antetokounmpo at the February trade deadline. Rivers claimed, "Shams took that so personally that he actually called the Bucks and yelled at them to take it down."
Charania responded to Rivers' comments on "The Pat McAfee Show" on April 13.
"I just report the news — I just document the news — and so, the truth can hurt sometimes," Charania said, in part. "I stand by my reporting."
Charania addressed the situation again as a guest on "SI Media with Jimmy Traina," which went live on YouTube on Thursday.
"I'm not going to go back and forth," Charania said. "My job is to accurately, 100% report what it is. As far as me calling someone and yelling at someone about a post being taken down, Jimmy, you should call the Bucks and ask the Bucks, 'Who did Shams call and yell at to take this post down?' That's what was alleged, right? The answer is going to be no one because it never happened."
Charania asserted that he's "not the only person" reporting on the chaos happening in Milwaukee this season and pointed out that the Bucks are still under investigation for holding Antetokounmpo out for the rest of the season despite Antetokounmpo publicly stating he was healthy enough to play.
"I never want to be someone who comes across as being, like, oh, I'm just gonna go back and forth," Charania said. "That's not me. I hope that everyone can move on."
Watch Charania's full "SI Media with Jimmy Traina" below.
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