Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was recently ranked as the 24th greatest NBA player of all-time by The Athletic. They have been releasing their 75 greatest players, and Antetokounmpo was surprised to see he ranked so high at only 27 years old.
Despite being in the league for less than a decade, not many players have accomplished what Giannis has done thus far. He is a 5-time NBA All-Star, 5-time All-NBA player, 4-time All Defense, named Defensive Player of the Year, two league MVP's and an NBA Finals MVP last season. That is an incredibly impressive resume for anyone, never mind someone so young.
Giannis, while responding to his placement on the list, detailed every part of his career. His 7th season in the league was the so-called “Bubble Season” in 2020. The year ended with a playoff loss to the Miami Heat in five games. Milwaukee's star forward had pretty strong feelings about that year.
“I came in with a chip on my shoulder, I knew what the deal was… It was one of my best years I’ve ever had in my career, offensively and defensively… Year seven ended with Miami. I don’t make excuses as an athlete, but it wasn’t a satisfying year for me because I felt like if it was a normal situation, it wouldn’t end up like that. But at the end of the day, I felt like Miami was built to be an NBA bubble team.”
The Miami Heat shocked the NBA, going on a deep run all the way to the NBA Finals, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers. Giannis was clearly motivated by the loss to the Heat, as he and the Bucks came back to win the title the next season.
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