Giannis Antetokounmpo is aptly named the ‘Greek Freak’ because he is a true freak athlete. Standing at 6’11, Giannis moves like a guard, with incredible speed while not compromising his dominant strength. Antetokounmpo is truly gifted when it comes to taking the ball down to the hole.
Antetokounmpo has been in the NBA for quite some time now and has truly established himself as one of the all-time greats. Giannis from 2013 compared to Giannis from today are almost different players. He has bulked up significantly, gone from being a tall, lanky player, to one of the most physically imposing in the league.
With his scary combination of size and speed, Giannis has been able to dominate several players in the NBA. The sight of Antetokounmpo running down the court at full speed will frighten even the biggest and best defenders in the NBA today.
Antetokounmpo’s physicality cannot be contained by anyone. But the worst thing an opposition player can do is get him angry. Orlando Magic’s Moe Wagner learned this lesson in the toughest way possible.
During the 2020 NBA Bubble in Orlando, Wagner (who was with the Wizards at the time) was tasked with guarding Giannis. After an initial scuffle during a play, Antetokounmpo was furious and headbutted him. Giannis was then ejected, but Wagner cleared the air that there is no beef between the two.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi3VMMiFHVg
“I’m watching Giannis the entire time. Budenholzer is calling a play. Giannis is like ‘f*ck that, give me the ball’. He takes the ball and dribbles downhill with this look in his eyes like he’s trying to f*cking kill me. I knew he was pissed… I was ready to get pushed, I would have never expected him to headbutt me. That sh*t hurt. Now, the consequence of that situation is that ‘I have beef with Giannis’, which is not true.”
Players often react poorly in the heat of the moment. So, it is very possible that Giannis and Wagner let bygones be bygones after the game. Clearly, Wagner has no hard feelings, so it is hard to believe that Antetokounmpo would.
Going into the new season, Giannis has little reason to be angry, given that he is the reigning NBA champion and Finals MVP. But that doesn’t mean he won’t be motivated at all, with him being hungry to get more success after tasting it for the first time last year.
