There has been a lot of buzz and a lot of hype surrounding a certain player recently, a player a lot of fans, coaches and players have very high hopes for. This player is 22-year old, 6 foot 11 freak of nature, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis has shocked the basketball world this season and last season with his abilities, and the unstoppable force he has become with his strength, skill, and athleticism. Although being drafted 15th pick in the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft, he has for sure proven a lot of people wrong and made the statement that he was the best player in that draft class.
Last season the Greek Freak averaged a stellar 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.9 blocks in 35.6 minutes of action per game. He became the only player in NBA history to rank in the top 20 in all major statistical categories for a regular season (points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks) which is a credit to his great all-around game.
A lot of people are catching onto the notion of Giannis being a great player in this league, and he has received many compliments from NBA stars. But recently one legend of the sport of basketball gave his opinion on the youngster, and that man is LeBron James.
LeBron James talks about Giannis
LeBron James is arguably the greatest player of all time, so for any young player like Giannis to get high praise from the King, it means a lot.
Before and after the Cleveland Cavaliers game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, LeBron was asked a lot about the Greek Freak and what a talent he is. LeBron said: “He’s a very dynamic player, a very good player, on the path to greatness, that’s for sure, if he’s not already there.” James added, “He’s good. He’s very good.”
A lot is expected of the young Milwaukee Bucks star, many people see him as an MVP candidate or even favorite for this season.
LeBron spoke on the chances of Antetokounmpo winning an MVP in the near future saying, “He has the skill set. He has the talent. He has a great coach that can help get him to that point (winning an MVP award oneday).”
LeBron clearly has a lot of respect for Giannis, and believes he can do great things in the league. He is just 22 years old and has a long way to go in the NBA; the sky is the limit.
Not only LeBron has shared his high expectations for the all-star either.
KD and Kobe see his talent too
Giannis Antetokounmpo was recently challenged by retired Los Angeles Lakers legend, Kobe Bryant to win the 2017-18 NBA MVP award. This may have sounded far-fetched at first with superstars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in the league, but with the team, he is on, Giannis might be able to thrive, and his statistics might be staggering at the end of the season. Voters may be interested in voting for the youngster. Kevin Durant also challenged Giannis; he believes Antetokounmpo can be the greatest player to ever play the game if he puts his mind to it. KD believes he has all the athletic tools and gifts, he just needs to put in the work.
