Watch: Frances Tiafoe drops his NBA superstars & their tennis equivalents
NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is without question one of the best basketball players in the world today. With an incredibly unique combination of height, size, speed and skills, Antetokounmpo can pretty much do it all. That's why U.S. tennis star Frances Tiafoe has a perfect comparison when it comes to who Giannis most reminds him of on the court.
Tiafoe is fresh off a breakout year on the ATP tour, where he finished with a final ranking of No. 19 in the world. Throughout the ATP season, Tiafoe's story gained widespread attention for how cinematic his journey to the top has been. After his parents emigrated from Sierra Leone to the United States in the late 1990s, his father earned a job as a maintenance man at a tennis academy he helped build.
Tiafoe and his brother split time between living with their dad at the tennis academy and living with their mom, who was a nurse working long hours. When they were living with their father at the tennis academy, they picked up tennis for fun. The rest, as they say, is history. With his incredible story and love for basketball, Tiafoe was invited on JJ Redick's "The Old Man & The Three" podcast.
During the episode, Redick listed off some NBA superstars and asked Tiafoe to name their tennis equivalent. Needless to say, they didn't disappoint.
You can view the full episode below, with the comparison segment beginning at the 35-minute mark, and you can catch the comparisons after the jump.
5 NBA superstars and their tennis counterparts
Giannis Antetokounmpo
"I would give Giannis, more from a how he approaches the game and the effort he brings every night I'd probably go with (Rafael) Nadal. Just because Giannis is coming to kill you every night. He's coming to kill you, and Rafa has that attitude too. Super nice guy, but as soon as we get out there, you can just feel that."
Michael Jordan
"I would say MJ, I'm gonna go (Roger) Federer, because you can see he's the one guy – you'll never see that again. And it was cool when they actually made a shoe that one year at the U.S. Open together and did that collab. ... When you think of MJ, it's just like, brother was crazy. You think of Federer, you're like ... you were just in awe every time you watch them."
(Suggested reading: That time Mike Tyson was ready to beat up MJ)
Nikola Jokic
"I feel like comparing him to my Joker (Novak Djokovic). Because Jokic is funny to me, because I'm watching him playing, it's like, how? But also you're in awe of his greatness, too. What can't this guy do?
"This guy is a freak. It doesn't look like your normal traditional way, the way you want it to look. ... and same with Novak. It's not the prettiest game ever, but these guys just get it done."
Patrick Beverley
After quite a bit of laughter, Tiafoe thought for a moment before giving an absolutely hilarious comparison for Patrick Beverley.
"I'm gonna go Nick Kyrgios. He's just riling stuff up, talking trash in your face."
Kevin Durant
"He's just such a bucket. ... One of the best scorers we've ever seen. I love to say this comparison. I'll do this for Bron (LeBron James) and KD. Pete Sampras. ... Because KD also, until he gets annoyed in the media.
"Quiet when it comes to basketball, commit to it, just want to hoop. Not out in the scene or whatever, and I'm gonna make you question your profession every night."
Below you can view some recent highlights from an absolutely insane match earlier this year where Tiafoe defeated Rafael Nadal at the US Open.
(Suggested reading: James Worthy talks first impression of MJ)