Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets may be considered the best player in the NBA right now, but the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t far behind.
That means Antetokounmpo is one of the faces of the league, but he doesn’t seem to care much.
Per Tomer Azarly via Legion Hoops, he said it doesn’t mean a whole lot to him.
“I refuse to fall into the bubble of being the face of the NBA, being an All-Star, being an MVP, being the best, whatever,” Antetokounmpo said.
Fans immediately had mixed opinions on social networks:
One person said: “Give it to Tatum he wants it”
The second fan expressed:”Go watch his Documentary on Amazon Prime so y’all can get some perspective on him. He’s not being fake humble or non competitive”
The third continues: “Can’t be the face of the league when he’s useless outside of 10ft away from the basket”
Another one comment: “Started his career proudly telling reporters he wanted to be MVP. Now it’s “no failure” and this. What happened?”
Antetokounmpo is a two-time regular season MVP, a Defensive Player of the Year award winner and an NBA champion, and he is just 29 years of age.
He is seemingly at the peak of his individual powers, and he should have several more years to add to his already impressive resume.
His speed, explosiveness, length and long strides make him a sight to behold in the open court, where he is one of the deadliest players in the league and possibly of all time.
But while Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists a game this season, his Bucks are struggling despite the addition of future Hall of Fame guard Damian Lillard last summer.
They are in third place in the Eastern Conference with a dismal 35-21 record, but many thought they were the greatest team in the conference, if not the NBA.
Once more, there are rumors that Antetokounmpo may become frustrated with the team’s performance and want a trade soon if the Bucks don’t advance very far in the postseason this year.
Nevertheless, given how lethal Lillard is in the clutch and Antetokounmpo’s extraordinary abilities, Milwaukee still needs to be taken seriously as a postseason danger.