The internet was up in arms over a play in the first quarter of the Milwaukee Bucks‘ 121-111 win over the New York Knicks on Oct. 28. Giannis Antetokounmpo appeared to take as many as six steps on his way to the rim for a basket, prompting NBC announcers Reggie Miller and Jamal Crawford to laugh about the lack of a travel call.
“Oh my goodness,” Miller said. “Wow, come on! Yeah, we could’ve played until we were 50 if we got that runway, Jamal. I need to see that again. Can we count those steps again? Come on, man.”
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives past New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the fourth quarter in a game Tuesday, October 28, 2025, at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Bucks won 121-111.
Play-by-play man Mike Tirico explained the NBA rules on a “gather” of the basketball, allowing a player two steps after he has fully controlled the ball. The point of subjectivity is when, and before which step, did Antetokounmpo complete the process of his “gather.”
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You just twitched when you read the words “complete the process,” didn’t you?
The NBA rule book defines “gather” (as of a 2019 rule change) as:
For a player who receives a pass or gains possession of a loose ball, it’s the point where the player gains enough control of the ball to hold it, change hands, pass, shoot or cradle it against his body.
That doesn’t apply to Antetokounmpo, who already had possession. For that, the gather is defined as the point where a player does any one of the following:
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Puts two hands on the ball, or otherwise permits the ball to come to rest, while he is in control of it;
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Puts a hand under the ball and brings it to a pause; or
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Otherwise gains enough control of the ball to hold it, change hands, pass, shoot, or cradle it against his body.
Here’s how that applies to a traveling rule:
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A player who gathers the ball while progressing may (a) take two steps in coming to a stop, passing or shooting the ball or (b) if he has not yet dribbled, one step prior to releasing the ball to start his dribble.
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A player who gathers the ball while dribbling may take two steps in coming to a stop, passing or shooting the ball.
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The first step occurs when a foot, or both feet, touch the floor after the player gathers the ball.
It sure seems as though Antetokounmpo has both hands on the ball with both feet down before taking his final two steps to the basket. That would be three steps total and, therefore, traveling.
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But, it also depends on when the officials define the completion of his “gather.” There’s at least some wiggle room to only count his final two steps before releasing a shot.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Everyone seems to think Giannis traveled against Knicks, but did he?