Through his first four years, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has developed into one of the risings stars in the league.

In complete hindsight, the selection of Antetokounmpo at the 15th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft looks like a huge steal. The Dallas Mavericks were one of the teams in the 14 selections ahead of that spot.

During a recent interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban revealed that it was him that chose to pass on taking Antetokounmpo with the 13th overall pick.

“Our guys were like, ‘We should take the Greek Freak,'” Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said recently on Sirius XM NBA Radio, recalling the 2013 draft. “All we had was two tapes, and someone who would go to see him, but we were trying to get Dwight [Howard] — that was the Dwight year, too. And, OK, we're trying, we have a plan, we're gonna stick to it. We thought we had a good shot. Didn't turn out that way.”

“It was me,” Cuban said. “Donnie [Nelson] was like, ‘OK, I'm putting my you-know-whats on the table.' He was doing the Sam Cassell, Nick Van Exel dance. … It's all in. And I'm like, ‘Donnie, we have this plan.' Because even as good as the Greek Freak has turned out to be, he was still three years away, and we wanted to try to get somebody who could help get us to the top right there and then. Didn't turn out that way, it is what it is, that happens.”

The Maverick chose to instead use the pick on former Gonzaga big man Kelly Olynyk and traded to him to the Boston Celtics. Cuban also stated the team was holding firm on the belief that they had a strong chance of landing Dwight Howard, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent following his lone season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The fact that Dallas missed out on Howard only further extenuates how much things could have been different with Antetokounmpo in the mix. He could have been under Dirk Nowitzki‘s wing and developed into the next face of the franchise.

Instead, the 22-year-old has continued his ascension in the league after coming off his best individual campaign earning him the NBA Most Improved award, his first All-Star selection, and an All-NBA Second Team nod. He also became only the fifth player in league history to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks while being the first to place in the top 20 in each of those respective categories in a single season.

Ultimately, it's one of those decisions that each of the teams ahead of the Bucks in the 2013 NBA Draft are kicking themselves for not taking a chance on Antetokounmpo.