Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is not a fan of working out with other NBA stars during the offseason. The reason behind this is quite unique, as it is brought about by the 24-year-old's perpetual competitiveness and unwillingness to work with “the enemy.”
Speaking to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Giannis shared his unusual stance when it comes to summer workouts with his peers/rivals:
“I can’t work out with you in the summer and then play you in a few months,” said Antetokounmpo. “It feels weird. It doesn’t feel right with me. Like other players, it’s cool for other players, but I don’t. I don’t want to. Other guys do it.”
Antetokounmpo even used LeBron James and Kevin Durant as an example to belabor his point:
“I feel like with LeBron and KD, KD did that to LeBron,” Antetokounmpo said of Durant and James, who famously worked out together in the summers of 2011 and ’12. “Take a lot of his thoughts and use it against him. And that’s what I don’t want guys doing to me.”
To each his own, I guess. Perhaps at this point in his career, Giannis believes that the risk of his opponent inadvertently learning a thing or two about him during these potential workouts far outweighs whatever knowledge he may gain during the same.
The most important thing is that whatever Giannis Antetokounmpo is doing right now appears to be working excellently for him. The way he has amazingly elevated his game season after season is testament to this fact. Now, whether or not his individualistic attitude will be enough to raise his game to an even higher level remains to be seen.
Follow Us
Subscribe