Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most dominant scorers of this era, and LeBron James reckons he’d wreak even more havoc if he played in the 1970s. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, James wildly claimed that Antetokounmpo would put up 250 points in a game in that era.
“You trying to tell me Giannis wouldn’t be able to play an NBA game in the 70s? … Giannis Antetokounmpo would have 250 points in a game in the 70s,” James said. “250.”
“You trying to tell me Giannis wouldn't be able to play an NBA game in the 70’s? Giannis would have 250 points in a game in the 70’s.”
— LeBron James
(via @PatMcAfeeShow, h/t @ohnohedidnt24)pic.twitter.com/isFjolkeJz
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 26, 2025
Now, that’s obviously an exaggeration. No one, no matter how great they are, would be able to score that many points in a game in the 70s. There’s no doubt that Antetokounmpo would dominate in that era with his freakish athleticism, but let’s pump the brakes.
The point that is being conveyed here is that great players would be great in any era. Today’s superstars would do just fine if they were playing in the 70s, 80s, or 90s when the game was supposedly more physical.
The great ones would find a way to adapt, and someone like Antetokounmpo would be one of the best players in the league in any era. He averages 23.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game for his career, and his numbers would have been even higher if he were playing in the 1970s.
The same would apply to James as well. The Los Angeles Lakers forward is arguably the greatest ever, but some former players have bizarrely claimed he wouldn’t be as good if he were playing 30 to 40 years ago. Dennis Rodman, Rasheed Wallace, and Mychal Thompson have all stated they doubt James would be as successful in the 80s and 90s.
James’ combination of size, skill, and athleticism would make him a force in any era. Gilbert Arenas thinks LeBron would be unstoppable in the 80s and 90s, and he probably would have been.
Arenas has been very vocal about his belief that the NBA of the 80s and 90s is way too overhyped. He doesn’t believe it was all that great, and his comments about basketball in that era have gotten laughs out of James as well.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Hopes Of Winning A Title This Season Have Been Dashed
Antetokounmpo has led the Milwaukee Bucks to a solid 40-31 record this season and had aspirations of winning his second NBA title. Those have now been dashed, with Damian Lillard out indefinitely after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis.
The playoffs start in less than a month, and it’s unlikely that Lillard recovers in time for it. The Bucks were never considered one of the favorites for the title, but you gave them a puncher’s chance because they had Antetokounmpo and Lillard. With the latter now likely to miss the postseason, that’s that for Milwaukee.
The Bucks have just been ever so unlucky with injuries these last few years. Khris Middleton got injured in the 2022 playoffs, while Antetokounmpo missed time in 2023 and did not feature at all in the postseason in 2024. Lillard missed some games in 2024, too, and it’s a pity we haven’t seen this team at full strength in the business end of the season in a while.
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