Ever wonder when Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo realized he felt he could go toe-to-toe with LeBron James?
Apparently, it was all the way back in November of 2016, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic:
“I remember I backed him, backed him down and then I was about to spin for the shot, and he took a foul,” Antetokounmpo recalled.
After that foul, Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue removed his starters from the game. Antetokounmpo and the Bucks had forced the Cavs to throw in the towel with just over seven minutes remaining.
When Antetokounmpo looks back, he realizes that moment was the first time he felt like he could go toe-to-toe with James. It was the first game he didn’t find himself standing in awe of one of the greatest players of all-time, which he admitted was very different from the first few years he saw James on the floor.
“Man, seeing him run down the floor was like, ‘Shit. That’s LeBron James,’ ” Antetokounmpo said earlier this week. “But as you grow older, it changes. But there haven’t been guys in the league that at one point wasn’t looking at LeBron James like, ‘That’s LeBron James.’ ”
Antetokounmpo is now in the same class as LeBron, not in terms of career accomplishments, just where they are as superstars today.
Giannis, the reigning MVP, is averaging 31.7 points, 12.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game this season for the Bucks, who once again have the best record in the East.
LeBron and the Los Angeles Lakers have the same record as the Bucks, which means Thursday's matchup between The Greek Freak and The King is a potential Finals and MVP preview.
Antetokounmpo has come a long way from 2016. He's now shooting jumpers with more consistency and confidence, a scary sight for the rest of the NBA.
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