Onyeka Okongwu vindicated for hilarious jabs at Desmond Bane after repeat offense

One month and three days after being ejected against the Atlanta Hawks for spiking the ball on a tumbling Onyeka Okongwu, Desmond Bane struck again, this time firing a fastball into a fallen OG Anunoby. 

Bane clearly did not need to throw the ball at Anunoby, despite his protest when the referees gave him a technical foul after video review. He even took a slight crow hop to gather stability before launching the ball at Anunoby’s shoulder so hard that the ball flew above the rim. Anunoby wasn’t mad after the play. He was just confused as to why Bane would do such a thing when he could have made a basketball play.

This is no doubt one of the funniest moments of the NBA season so far, and Onyeka Okongwu could have predicted it.

The first Bane incident came in a November 4th match, which was the second time Atlanta and Orlando faced off in just over two weeks. The game was generally physical, with Okongwu later admitting a rivalry had formed between the two teams. 

When Okongwu went up with an awkward layup attempt, Bane sent him crashing down with a hard foul. In a moment of perfect timing, the ball came down right as Bane was bringing his hands down. He then spiked the ball onto Okongwu before being confronted by Mo Gueye, the NBA’s thinnest enforcer.

Okongwu predicted Bane’s lashing out

At the Hawks’ first post-practice media event following Bane’s ejection, Okongwu was asked about the moment that led to the ejection. After giving his version of the story, he took the opportunity to troll his division rivals’ newest acquisition.

“I can already tell that he's frustrated over there,” Okongwu said, “he's not having the best year. You know, I'd be frustrated too if I was in the position that he was in over there. That he is watching, respectfully, Paolo [Banchero] and Franz [Wagner] take all the shots. It's nothing personal.”

Apparently, Okongwu was more correct than anyone could have guessed. Bane did it again, taking his frustration out on Anunoby. Bane’s continued frustration comes despite the Magic's recent surge in the standings, where the team has won 7 of the last 10 games to bring their record comfortably above .500.

Okongwu might not be the most intimidating player in the NBA, but he is one of the funniest. For that reason, I recommend that opponents avoid confronting the Atlanta big man to avoid humiliation.