The Greek Freak: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Love him or hate him but you cant ignore him!
Four years ago nobody knew about this tall guy with an unpronounceable name but today he is one of the most improved and sought-after player in the NBA. He is 6'11, 222 pounds and the son of an undocumented Nigerian immigrant to Greece. He grew up poor and played basketball in his neighbourhood of Sepolia.
In 2013, he was 18 years old and he finished a season averaging 9 pts for a second-division Greek pro team. Yet he was picked by the Milwaukee Bucks as the 15th overall pick, trusting in him and seeing a future "Kevin Durant" in him.The trust has certainly paid off.If you don't believe me have a look at the stats!
Averaging 29.8 points,10.3 rebounds,1.6 blocks and 4.5 assists per game with a field goal percentage of 54.6%.He ranks third in the NBA in player efficiency rating (PER) at 31.20. He is second in scoring and one of only three players posting 25 and 10 a night. He's also No. 1 in minutes played (37.5) and tied for first in free throw attempts (234).
Not only his stats but the improvement which he has shown in his basketball career is a thing to be noticed and should be used as a motivation.He has improved in all the four seasons with the graph just going up in all the departments.His body has seen a lot of transformation, as well as his tally of points, is going up by every season.
In 2017, he won the league's Most Improved Player Award, as well as being named to both the All-NBA and All-Defensive Second Teams. This season, he's one of the favorites for MVP award. He has already joined "best player on the planet" conversations.
He is committed to Milwaukee and says, "Milwaukee is a small market team, but I love it. I’m a really competitive guy. I’m a really stubborn guy. That’s what makes me want to take Milwaukee to the top, make Milwaukee a big market team. That’s a goal I’ve set for myself. Hopefully one day I can achieve it. "
In spite of being a good basketball player, he is good human being and he has not forgotten his roots. He contributes to the society and has raised a lot of funds for helping people in Greece.He is a humble fellow and is a fan of Magic Johnson.He has been praised by the greats of basketball who think he is a "legend" material.Even Kobe Bryant challenged him to be the MVP of this season.
But the question still remains, "With a great start in the season, will he be able to become the MVP opposite to the lights Of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Russell Westbrook?" "Will he be able to take Bucks into the latter stages of the tournament?"