For the past 18 years, LeBron James has been the King of basketball. As a 17x All-Star, 17x All-NBA player, 4x MVP, and 4x Champion, the guy has accomplished more in his career than most other players can even dream of.
In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo still has a long way to go before he gets to LeBron’s level, but he could be the guy who takes over when his run finally ends.
In an interview with Basketball News, former player Kenyon Martin even went so far as to call Giannis ‘the next LeBron.’ Here’s what he said:
“Listen, Giannis is the new Lebron. He can be in the MVP convo every season. And the only reason you don’t give it to him is because someone else is playing out of their mind that season. So yeah a lot has to happen before they’re the favorites over Milwaukee.”
He also still has the Bucks as the favorites to win it all this season.
“I feel like Milwaukee is still the favorite to come out the East, but Brooklyn has the potential to if a lot of things come together very quickly. But that takes time. But the East is stacked. Can’t count out Miami can’t count out Chicago. But if I’m picking someone right now, I would say Milwaukee. They have proven what they can do, and they have just improved since winning it. Giannis is a better version of the Giannis we saw last year who dominated throughout the playoffs and won a championship. And they just added Serge Ibaka. They defend, they execute, they’re flowing. Brooklyn, you have to get everyone acclimated to the system, Ben, Seth, Drummond, KD still out. They have a lot that has to come together.”
Giannis, a 2x MVP, has already reached a level very few players ever get to see. At just 27, he’s a Champion, multiple-time All-Star, and one of the faces of the league. Through 8 years, he’s got career averages of 21.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game on 54.1% shooting.
He’s already up there in terms of the numbers and personal accolades.
Of course, for Giannis to really emulate LeBron, he’s going to have to keep winning in the playoffs, just like James has for much of his career.
We’ll see if Antetokounmpo can build his case this summer.
