15 minutes before Jason Kidd's firing was publicly announced, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo called his head coach to inform him and try to save his job, according to ESPN.
That's sentence Antetokoumpo apparently never wanted the public to hear.
"It's kind of uncomfortable, especially for a guy like me that is -- as I said, one of my characteristics is that I'm being loyal to the people around me," Antetokounmpo told reporters Wednesday. "That's one of my characteristics, but it's kind of uncomfortable knowing before it happened."
During that conversation, reported to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Antetkounmpo offered to call his agent, the Bucks' owners, and do just about anything to keep Kidd on staff.
Kidd declined Antetokounmpo's help, ESPN reports, saying, "There's nothing you can do. All you can do is tell the truth. That's it." Kidd went on to thank Antetokounmpo for his loyalty.
While the firing left a bitter taste in the All-Star starter's mouth, Antetokounmpo gave a lot of credit to Jaso Kidd for his personal development.
"(Kidd) was a big part of my success," he said. "He trusted me, he put the ball in my hands, he motivated me on a daily basis, he pushed me to be great and not to be mediocre ..."
The Bucks, a young team expected to make a leap this season, are currently 24-22 and amassed a 139-152 record over Kidd's tenure.
