Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has deleted all of his social media accounts, as he mourns the tragic death of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on Sunday in a helicopter accident that also killed Bryant's 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other people.
Antetokounmpo and Bryant were very close off the court:
I feel so bad for Giannis. Kobe took great pride in watching him develop, and this loss has taken a toll on him. He even showed up hours early to Kobe workouts.
Deleted all social media. pic.twitter.com/fuTeal9jXe
— threevincenzo (@threevincenzo) January 27, 2020
Antetokounmpo worked out with Bryant during the summer of 2018. Whatever tips Kobe gave Giannis obviously worked, as Antetokounmpo won the 2019 MVP award and guided the Bucks to the best record in the NBA. Antetkounmpo thanked Bryant in his speech accepting the award, which Bryant himself won in 2008. It's not a surprise that Antetokounmpo doesn't want to be on social media during what is a difficult time for everybody in the basketball world, especially those who knew Bryant.
Kobe said last season Giannis was “just scratching the surface.” The death of Kobe has had a big impact on Antetokounmpo and it's easy to see why The Greek Freak wants to stay away from social media at the moment.
Like Bryant, Giannis is a global icon. While he was at the free-throw line in Paris, Giannis got “MVP” chants. Antetokounmpo is one of the best basketball players in the world and figures to dominate the NBA for years to come. The Bucks star is averaging 30.0 points, 12.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists while shooting 55.7 percent from the floor and 60.6 percent from the free-throw line.
With the Bucks holding the best record in the league again, Antetokounmpo has a really good shot of winning his second straight MVP award. It's not a stretch to say he's going to dedicate the rest of the season to Kobe, which will make it all the more fitting if he's able to end it with his first career championship.
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