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Charles Barkley is not one to shy away from making a bold claim. This time around, Sir Charles compared Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo to Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.
Charles Barkley and the TNT crew were in awe of the Bucks' demolition of the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which they won 125-91. Giannis posted 25 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in less than 30 minutes of game action for Milwaukee, but he definitely gave maximum effort while he was out there.
“He is the big Russell Westbrook,” Charles Barkley said of the Bucks frontman. “Russell Westbrook and Giannis play harder than any two players in the NBA. Like every single night, they give maximum effort.”
“I can’t even think of anybody in my day, who gave maximum effort.”
To which Kenny Smith suggested Michael Jordan. But Chuck responded in defense of the Bucks star:
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“..not the level of Giannis, Michael was the greatest, but the level of excellence…,” Barkley continued before getting interrupted.
Talk about high praise. Charles Barkley has long acknowledged the otherworldly excellence of Michael Jordan as the greatest of all time from his perspective. To be clear, he isn't comparing them directly as players, but rather discussing the level of effort that they display in-game on a nightly basis.
For Charles Barkley to make the claim that Giannis Antetokounmpo competes even harder for the Bucks than MJ, the ultimate competitor, did for the Bulls? Now that's saying something.
