Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most fierce competitors in the NBA, when he’s on the court, he always wants to dominate and win. But off the court, he is perhaps one of the nicest and most complimentary superstars in the game. He showed it again on Saturday night despite his Milwaukee Bucks side losing to the Golden State Warriors.
Klay Thompson has had one of the more sad stories in the last couple of seasons. Multiple serious injuries kept Klay away from the court for over 2 years and ensured that he obviously wouldn’t be able to start playing at his same level right away. Despite initial struggles after making his return to the playing roster, Klay finally had what could be considered a breakout game against the Bucks which was unsurprising considering his confidence in being able to be the best again.
And Giannis was very willing to give Klay his flowers after the game, saying how happy he was to see Klay playing at the level he is capable of once again. Antetokounmpo acknowledged that the loss hurt but focused on Thompson’s excellence after returning from such serious injuries.
“It’s kind of funny that like, obviously we haven’t seen him in a while with his injury. It’s almost like we forgot who he is. He made one and we kinda weren’t urgent enough to discourage him from shooting the second one, third one, fourth one, so we weren’t urgent enough. But at the end of the day, obviously hurts to lose a game, but I’m happy. I’m happy for Klay.
“I’m happy for somebody who faces adversity, being able to come back and play at a high level. You know, not against us. But at the end of the day, my mindset is I never take away from somebody else. You know, he had a good game and you have to give him credit. He had a great game. He made tough shots. I’m happy that he’s back.”
Klay Thompson had a whopping 38 points in just 33 minutes, a vintage performance from the Splash Brother. He buried 8 threes in the game off of 14 attempts and the Bucks simply allowed him to cook, which is a very bad idea when Thompson is involved. The Warriors will be hoping that this game has gotten Klay back on track as they need him to perform at this level if they are to make a deep playoff run.
