By taking the opportunity he received early on, Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo was drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) and went on to become a two-time MVP and an NBA champion.
According to Vice, Thodoris Chondrogiannos, Coach Spiros Velliniatis first discovered Giannis’ basketball talent.
When Antetokounmpo finally decided to play basketball, his brother also made the same choice. They couldn’t play together on the court because they only had one pair of basketball shoes they would share between them.
According to senior Nate Rusike, he feels that Antetokounmpo is an “amazing athlete” who came from nothing to something.
“Giannis basically came from nothing. He and his brother had to share the same basketball shoes, but he kept working, grinding just to get where he is today,” Rusike said.
After Antetokounmpo was discovered, he was later drafted in the 2013 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks as the 15th overall pick. According to ESPN analyst Kevin Arnovitz, Giannis was only 18 when he was drafted.
After he was drafted, most people didn’t expect much from him until his breakout season.
According to The Sports Scientist, a breakout season or year is when “a campaign where an athlete, team, performs significantly higher, often at an elite level compared to their previous, or average standards.”
Junior Sam Arthur believes that Antetokounmpo lives up to his nickname “The Greek Freak,” which he goes by due to his abilities in basketball.
“He’s very athletic. He jumps really high; he’s just a good rebounder. I love his strength. I love everything he does.” Arthur said.
According to Christopher Kuhagen, writer of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Giannis led the Bucks in all five major statistical categories, where he was later voted for the All-Star Game that same year.
According to sophomore Nicholas Abraham, he believes that Antetokounmpo is an “electric player” whose performance has improved throughout the years.
“From his MVP performances, you can tell. He’s a great player, and he is an electric player too,” Abraham said.