An elephant never forgets … and neither does Onyeka Okongwu.
Okongwu and the Atlanta Hawks battled on Monday night against Desmond Bane and the Orlando Magic. In the third quarter at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga., Bane was defending Okongwu underneath the basket off a switch and wrapped him up for the foul.
In the process, Bane took Okongwu down to the floor. Okongwu was not happy about the takedown and tossed the ball at Bane, hitting him in the back.
The former lottery pick Okongwu would receive a technical foul as a result of the play. Here is the video.
Onyeka Okongwu receives a technical foul for tossing the ball at Desmond Bane after the play was blown dead. pic.twitter.com/4Zq2pODRC3
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 17, 2026
There is some prior history here between Okongwu and Bane. During a matchup between the two teams earlier this season in November, Bane was ejected after hitting Okongwu with a flagrant foul in transition and then, in the same motion, volleyball-spiking the ball at Okongwu’s head (see the video here).
Okongwu’s revenge moment was nowhere near as violent as Bane’s initial shot at him some four-and-a-half months ago. But that certainly had to feel good for Okongwu, especially since Bane has been particularly confrontational with opponents throughout this year.
