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Long before Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks had a dominant inside presence that looked poised for superstardom. Vin Baker was the Bucks' next big thing, starting off his four years with Milwaukee with three All-Star appearances before being traded away to the Seattle Supersonics.
But an extreme addiction to alcohol derailed what was expected to be an All-Star career that lasted much longer than it did. After being traded from the Bucks, Baker eventually fizzled out of the league, with his skills, money, and health all slowly draining away from his life. Now a Bucks assistant coach, Baker spoke out to the Los Angeles Times about how it felt to lose it all
Via LA Times' Dan Woike:
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“There was a point where it was just waiting for the train to crash,” Baker told The Times. “You know how that goes. Like people get into situations like mine where they lose this and they lose that. The next natural story is, ‘Vin Baker, boom. Something’s happened.’ “That’s kind of how that should’ve been.”
But Baker eventually found his way back to the Bucks, eventually returning to the franchise that drafted him way back in 1993. He has built a special relationship working with Giannis, who Baker reveals knew all about the struggles he went through years prior.
“One night we were we were talking and we had never had this conversation. And Giannis said to me, we were at dinner, and he said ‘Coach, like your story’s amazing. Like, I cannot believe it … it’s hard for me to even fathom what you’ve been through.
“He was in awe that I had made it back from what I had gone through and I didn’t even realize he knew the extent of it.”
The Bucks' franchise player is no stranger to hardships himself and probably resonated with Baker's story in some way. While Vin Baker never reached the potential he once possessed, he's determined to help younger players like Giannis Antetokounmpo reach theirs.
