On Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers, Giannis Antetokounmpo set the Milwaukee Bucks’ all-time franchise scoring record after dropping a career-high 64 points in the hotly-contested win. It did not take him too long before making history yet again.
During Sunday’s 128-119 victory against the Houston Rockets, Antetokounmpo etched his name in the history books once again by surpassing the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most career rebounds in franchise history.
Damian Lillard Reacts to Giannis’ New Milwaukee Bucks Record
Damian Lillard, who himself balled out during Sunday’s win, was a first-hand witness to Antetokounmpo’s massive feat. After the game, Dame shared his honest thoughts on his superstar teammate shattering an all-time record that once belonged to one of the legends of the game:
“Anytime Kareem is the person you’re passing, that’s a crazy, crazy stat,” Lillard said, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “When I came here I was like, you might as well hold the balls till the end of the year because he’s going to have every record possible by the end of the season.
“It just shows the kind of work that he puts into the game. You don’t get rewarded the way he’s been rewarded and you don’t reach these types of milestones without being true to the game and putting into it what he’s put into it. Like I’ve been saying, it’s honor to be on the team with him. Everything that he’s reaching right now I’ve seen it from afar and it makes perfect sense why he’s leading points and rebounds, assists, blocks and whatever else.”
Lillard himself has broken his fair share of NBA records, which includes his recent feat of climbing to the fifth spot for most career 3-pointers in league history. As such, you can consider Dame as a bit of an authority in this matter.
Lillard, of all people, is very much aware of the hard work and sacrifice that need to be made behind the scenes in order to achieve these incredible feats. This is exactly why Dame has nothing but respect for Giannis’ latest milestone.
Giannis Will Rule All
Dame hasn’t been around Antetokounmpo for too long, but Lillard has already seen enough to determine that Giannis is an all-time great. In fact, Dame believes that Antetokounmpo is going to rule all once it’s all been said and done:
“I’m sure he’ll be No. 1 in everything in whatever statistic in the history of this team I’m sure he’ll reach that at some point as well,” Lillard said. “This is just another one.”
For what it’s worth, the one record Giannis is going to have a hard time chasing is Khris Middleton’s all-time record for 3-pointers made. Middleton stands atop the elite list with 1,281 triples to his name, while Antetokounmpo, who isn’t exactly considered a 3-point marksman, is seventh overall with 504 treys.
Dame probably didn’t know about this one.
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