The NBA MVP conversations are centering on two people⎯Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. And rightly so⎯these two players are leading their teams to success and playing incredible basketball. However, there is always one player that is overlooked⎯Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Giannis has always seemed to fly under the radar, despite having had a historic season and arguably his most efficient regular season stretch to date. It doesn’t seem to matter that the Bucks are second in the East, and that he is third in the league in scoring, sixth in rebounds, and doing that while shooting 60% from the field. With the NFL season done, and people eagerly awaiting NFL draft odds and the summer to come, fans and bettors can concentrate on getting a feel for who the hot prospects are and uncover any potential weaknesses. And with the NBA playoffs ahead, fans have plenty to keep them busy. So, let’s do a little reflection and look at how Giannis became a superstar.
Growing Up in Poverty in Athens
One thing I love about Giannis is that he has always remained humble, and this is because his early years were pretty tough. He essentially grew up on the streets of Athens and had to try to earn a living to help his family by flogging watches and sunglasses to tourists with his older brother.
As the child of Nigerian immigrants, he was always an outsider, and the fact that his family struggled meant he had a real drive to succeed.
Initial Career in Greece With Filathlitikos
Due to his height and athletic nature, Giannis was a natural fit for basketball, and he initially played for the Filathlitikos men’s senior team in the semi-pro Greek B Basket League. This was essentially the third division of Greek basketball, and he played one season with the team.
After this, he played a little more in the Greek leagues, before eventually making himself eligible for the 2014 NBA Draft. Although not highly recruited, the Milwaukee Bucks picked him up as the 15th overall pick. In hindsight, it’s incredible to see the players that were selected above him and how he outshone them all, including Anthony Bennet, Otto Porter Jr., Cody Zeller, and Alex Len.
Early Developmental Years With Milwaukee
His early years showed signs of promise and although not a regular starter, Giannis played most of the regular season games and continued to improve each year. During his rookie season, he was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team, and 2017 showed his real development as he won the Most Improved Player award, gained his first All-Star Selection, and achieved his first All-NBA honors.
Rise to Superstardom⎯Multiple MVPs and DPOY
2019 and 2020 were glorious years for the Bucks and Giannis and this is where he really started to rev the engines and show the league why he was so dominant. During this time, the Greek Freak won back-to-back MVPs, and the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2020, and he started his stretch of four straight seasons being selected to the All-NBA Defensive 1st Team.
He has also had All-Star selections since 2017, and five All-NBA First Team selections. The Bucks, as a team, continued to improve during this period and Giannis created a deadly partnership with Kris Middleton.
First NBA Ring and Finals MVP
The 2020−2021 season was a good year and I remember it well! Giannis had an incredible regular season, and this culminated with the Bucks beating the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals 4−2. I can remember watching the finals game and seeing Giannis pull off a ridiculous performance with a 50/14/5 Block stat line, including a game-clinching block and dunk⎯it was legendary!
Continued Development and MVP-caliber Play
Although the Bucks have come up short in subsequent seasons, Giannis has continued to show critics why he remains one of the best players in the league, and he is always near the top of MVP rankings. If Nikola Jokic, SGA, and Luka weren’t having such epic seasons, Giannis would easily be the top runner and I often wonder why he isn’t ranked higher!
Giannis Will Go Down as One of the All-time NBA Greats
Although I don’t think Giannis will win the MVP award this regular season, he’s still having an all-time great year and continues to perform as one of the best players in the league. We haven’t seen anyone as physically dominant as the Greek Freak for decades, but it’s also his determination, passion for the game, and desire to improve that make him such a powerhouse.
Not only that, but you cannot fail to love Giannis as a person. He literally dragged himself up from the streets of Athens to be a global sports superstar and always has a positive attitude and endearing persona. Some of the other superstars in the NBA should take a leaf out of his book!
