Giannis Antetokounmpo's brother recalls Greek Freak's first encounter with Victor Wembanyama akin to King Kong & Godzilla square off
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been a fan of Victor Wembanyama for quite some time. Before the draft lottery and his selection by the San Antonio Spurs, Wembanyama found himself on the receiving end of praise from Giannis Antetokounmpo. At the time, he explained to Serge Ibaka that the NBA hadn't seen anything like what Wembanyama brought to the game.
Now after the two dominant big men matched up twice this season, Thanasis Antetokounmpo believes that seeing the two match up is like something from a movie. With the former MVP being in the midst of his prime and Wembanyama coming into his form as an elite player, the clash of titans was remarkable.
On his Thanalysis podcast, Thanasis Antetokounmpo opened up on the situation. As he explained, watching the two dominant European stars battle it out is like watching Kong vs. Godzilla.
"It was special man, you know I I don't get to say a lot about games in season ... but it's definitely one of those games that's memorable. This definitely was like a game to remember ... I mean the best comparison ... I could give for that matchup was like like King Kong versus Godzilla bro. Like, it was just different."
Looking at this season's head to head battle between King Kong and Godzilla aka Giannis Antetokounmpo & Victor Wembanyama
This season, the Milwaukee Bucks and the San Antonio Spurs have played each other twice. During those games, though, fans were only treated to one showdown between King Kong and Godzilla, as Thanasis Antetokounmpo explained.
The first meeting between the two teams was on Dec. 19, where Giannis Antetokounmpo helped lead the Bucks to a 132-119 win, with Victor Wembanyama sidelined for the Spurs with a sprained ankle.
The two teams matched up again on Jan. 4, with both players suiting up for an epic clash in San Antonio. This time, Giannis Antetokounmpo played 39 points, recording 44 points,14 rebounds and seven assists. The "Greek Freak" also added two steals and a block to his team's total.
On the flip side, over 26 minutes played, Wembanyama scored 27 points, hauling down nine rebounds and blocking five shots. The matchup saw Wembanyama impress, but he and the Spurs fell 125-121.
As Wembanyama recently indicated, he's still finding his rhythm and working to grow as a player. Despite being the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year race, and being a top contender for the Defensive Player of the Year award, he's only getting going.
Given the ages of Wemby and Antetokounmpo, fans are likely to be treated to plenty more matchups between the two teams in the years to come.