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Giannis Antetokounmpo is built like a modern NBA star but has the same mentality as the superstars of yesteryear. The Milwaukee Bucks star didn't feel bad at all when he wasn't invited to Kobe Bryant's skill session at his Mamba Sports Academy last summer.
It was the basketball equivalent of all the cool kids going to a summer cabin to have fun. Players such as Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, and Anthony Davis all showed up to Kobe's facility and did everything they can to learn from the Black Mamba.
In a compelling piece by The Athletic's Sam Amick, the Greek Freak shared his thoughts about the entire thing. He shared that he was training with the Greek national team so he would have declined the invite. However, he explained that he didn't feel comfortable being in the same place as other NBA stars.
He elaborated his stance:
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“Man, it’s not that I don’t want to (learn from other stars). I get better every day. I’ll learn from the 15th player on our team. I’ll learn from (Bucks reserve guard) Frank Mason. But my competitive nature is so high that when I go and practice (with other stars), I can’t do it. That’s me. I’m not saying it’s right, but that’s me. I just know myself. I know that because I’m a nice person, I’m going to start building relationships (with those other stars). And then I’m going to go against those guys, and they’re going to be my friends.”
So, I asked him, you don’t want to take the competitive edge away?
“No, I don’t,” he said. “I want to play for 20 years and just play, and then make friendships at the end.”
This is the kind of mentality that drove players like Kobe, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Isaiah Thomas, and Michael Jordan.
If Giannis matches this type of thinking with outstanding results on the hardwood, getting that NBA title will become a question of when rather than if.
