Giannis Antetokounmpo had one of the best Finals series in recent NBA history. As he fought through a series of tough challengers (that included the Nets superteam), the Greek Freak was absolutely unbelievable with averages 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game.
As impressive as that is on its own, it becomes even more impressive when you realize the guy was sick for two of those games.
According to a report by Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic, Giannis had extreme dehydration for games 5 and 6, to the point where he was literally feeling sick after the conclusion of the matches.
“Amid all the pleasure, there was lingering pain. When Antetokounmpo had come to his postgame press conference after Game 5, he sat with a grimace and said, “I can’t,” before leaving the room and returning more than 30 minutes later.
In ‘tween, sources say he was extremely sick to his stomach from dehydration and even received fluid IV treatment after his 32-point, nine-rebound, six-assist performance. The remnants of that competitive approach were there after Game 6, too, as Antetokounmpo — clearly experiencing serious discomfort yet again — held his stomach and chugged bottles of Gatorade while making his way between interview stations.”
For any athletes out there, you know how bad a case of dehydration can be. Symptoms can include headache, dizziness, low blood pressure, and more.
The fact that Giannis played so great despite his body being starved of water is pretty wild, and even more evidence that Antetokounmpo is in elite company.
Had he drank enough liquids, who knows what more he could have done.
