Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is slowly building himself a career worthy of the Hall of Fame one day.
In fact, Giannis aligned himself with one of the all-time greats on Friday, joining the ranks of the late Moses Malone as the only two players in the last 45 seasons to have 14 games of at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in the first 25 contests of the season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo now has 14 games of at least 30 PTS and 10 REB in 25 games played. In the past 45 seasons, the only other player with that many 30-point, 10-rebound games in his first 25 games of a season was Moses Malone, with 14 in 1980-81. @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/tQEZi3VN9a
— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) December 14, 2019
The reigning MVP tallied 37 points and 11 rebounds in just 27 minutes against the Memphis Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum on Friday. The Bucks extended their league-best winning streak to 17 games, while improving their NBA-best record to 23-3 (tied with the Los Angeles Lakers).
After being named the NBA's best player last season, Giannis is once again on track to claim back-to-back MVPs, holding the top spot in the latest KIA MVP Ladder with stellar averages of 31.1 points, 13.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks. He is shooting 56.2 percent from the field and has improved his average from the 3-point line to 32.5.
Malone, meanwhile, achieved the feat in 1980-81 season. Plenty amazing superstars have graced the NBA since then, but no other player managed to display dominance on scoring and on the glass to begin the season. He played in the league from 1974 to 1995 and has won one NBA title with the Philadelphia 76ers alongside fellow greats Julius Erving, Bobby Jones and Maurice Cheeks.
“Fo', fo', fo” also won three MVP awards and made the All Star team 12 times.
As great as he has been the last few seasons, Giannis still has a long way to go to catch up to Moses' legendary status, but achieving this feat is certainly a good place to start.
Follow Us
Subscribe