When he declared for the NBA Draft back in 2013, Giannis Antetokounmpo did not have a lot of people believing that he can turn out to be the player that he has become. There were 14 other teams that passed up on him before the Milwaukee Bucks decided to take a chance and select him with the 15th overall pick.

Part of the reason why he had the opportunity to showcase his skill set in the NBA is former Bucks general manager John Hammond, who thought of him as more than just a young prospect out of Greece. Now that the veteran front office executive has agreed to join the Orlando Magic in the same capacity, The Greek Freak took to his Twitter account to post a heartfelt message to Hammond, and thanked him for the chance to play at the highest level.

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After proving his worth in his first three years in the league, the Bucks rewarded Antetokounmpo with a contract extension, which he signed for four years, $100 million last September, also with Hammond having a hand on it.

Antetokounmpo may not be working with him anymore, but he will continue to have the utmost respect for Hammond, as he has forever made his mark on him, and allowed him to become the All-Star and one of the best young players in the league that he is now.