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Giannis Antetokounmpo Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: F-G
Born: 12/06/94
Height: 6-11 / 2.11
Weight:242 lbs. / 109.8 kg.
Salary: $39,344,900
Born: 12/06/94
Height: 6-11 / 2.11
Weight:242 lbs. / 109.8 kg.
Salary: $39,344,900
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Hopefully, I can play 20 years with the Bucks
At the mere mention of another decade of basketball though, Antetokounmpo interjected. “No, I want to play 20 years,” Antetokounmpo said, repeating one of his goals. “Hopefully, I can play all 20 of those years with the Bucks. “But we’ll see, I can’t predict the future, but that (pointing to the list), that’s a compliment. Being (No.) 24 and I just turned 27. That’s all my hard work that has paid off. But I gotta — we just lost — I gotta keep going. I gotta keep improving as a player. I gotta keep enjoying the game. Gotta stay in the moment, live in the moment and where it’s going to end up when I’m done with it and I’m done with the league and out of the league, who knows. “That’s a compliment. I can take that right there and talk about it, show it to my kids.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo could not believe it. Following the Bucks’ 103-96 loss to the Raptors on Saturday, he was handed The Athletic’s list of the 75 greatest NBA players of all time. After seeing his bolded and circled name, he looked through the other names and the players ranked ahead and behind him. “They got me at 24?” Antetokounmpo asked. “I’m 24? Pfffffffffffffffffffff.”
With the list in his hand, Antetokounmpo made his way to partner, Mariah Riddlesprigger, who was watching over the couple’s two sons while waiting for Antetokounmpo to finish his postgame media session. “Look at this. They have me 24 of all time,” Antetokounmpo said while showing Riddlesprigger his place on the list. “Don’t talk to me,” Antetokounmpo said, pushing the air in front of him away to gesture he needed space as he walked away from our conversation with a big smile on his face. “You guys can’t talk to me no more!”
Antetokounmpo refuses to dwell on his placement on The Athletic’s list though. “At the end of the day, all those compliments, I gotta put them on the side, and you gotta keep on working, because those compliments slow you down,” Antetokounmpo said. “They grab you and hold you back. … ‘Oh. I’m top 24 of all time. I’m the big dog over here.’ That just slows you down. I don’t want to think about that. I want to think about what I can do better.
“I’m over myself. I’m over myself. I know what the deal is. I’m over myself. I don’t care about that,” Antetokounmpo said. “I don’t like losing, but I know what the deal is. I know that the deal is. I build good habits, and when the big moments are there, I’m there. I’m present. I’m not scared to play the defense. I’m not scared to guard Jimmy Butler. I’m not scared to switch. Like I’m here. And I was way over myself.
