Giannis Antetokounmpo etched his name in sports history books as he became just the 52nd NBA player to score more than 20,000 points on Wednesday when the Dallas Mavericks beat the Dallas Mavericks.
Greek Freak came to the league in 2013 as an unheralded 18-year-old from Greece. He was picked 15th overall by the Bucks, a choice that polarized many back then because of his small frame and his profile unknown to many scouts.
He averaged just around six points in his rookie season and now, he is amazingly in the Top 5 of scoring in the last six seasons.
The league’s legends have nothing but praise to Greek Freak after he reached his milestone.
San Antonio Spurs point guard Chris Paul, who just weeks ago had a verbal tussle with Antetokounmpo, thought it was the Bucks star’s dedication to the game that allowed him to last this long and score as many points as he has now.
“First thing I think about is durability and longevity. In order to score that many points you’ve put in a lot of hours. He’s dominant in his own way,” he said in an interview with Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“Everyone plays different ways, whether it’s threes, midrange or what not. In order to score that many points you done put a lot of time in and obviously a dedication to the game.”
CP3 himself is a member of club, bragging 22,826 scored points as of this writing.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has a fan in George Gervin
George Gervin is another player who is in awe or Antetokounmpo. The Spurs legend, who won the Scoring Champion title four times, did it for three straights seasons, thought Antetokounmpo is a different specimen.
He praised the two-time MVP’s transformation from a lanky forward into a dominant force under the rim.
“Look how he transformed from when he first came into his physicality now. He’s a specimen, man. He one of them kind of guys athletic-wise that don’t come around. And yet, he glides. He reminds me of me when he move on the floor. It ain’t pounding. He’s like on skates. If you really just check his movements out, man, he take the long strides,” said Gervin who himself scored 26,595 points.
He also declared himself as a fan of the Greek Freak.
“I appreciate his ability, I appreciate what he has become in the league. He definitely one of the ones that would be talked about years after he played. I just hope he keep that beautiful attitude that he has and don’t let nothing get in his way ‘cause in reality for all of us, it’s a special gift that we get and we need to cherish it.”
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