Giannis Antetokounmpo has shown his dominance over opponents for the past couple of years. Ever since he was drafted to the NBA in 2013, the Greek player has improved his level every season, becoming one of the strongest forces in the league with his ability to finish at the rim.
After winning two of the last three MVP awards, the player is again drawing consideration for the best player in the league. He has plenty of rivals at the award this campaign, but Giannis is still going strong as one of the faces of the NBA.
He has done a lot and is only 27, which has placed him in a privileged position compared to other all-time greats. The Milwaukee Bucks superstar has plenty of years to keep shining, and Kendrick Perkins believes he could stay at the top just like Karl Malone and LeBron James.
The longevity of those two is remarkable and Giannis could aspire to that if he follows in their footsteps. On a recent edition of ESPN’s First Take, the former Boston Celtics player debated who he’d take between Giannis and Ja Morant in 10 years, siding with the 2x NBA MVP.
“I’m not taking nobody over Giannis Antetokounmpo,” Perkins said. “I just can’t! And for the simple fact that I understand that he’s 27, but we have at least eight more years of Giannis, doing what he is doing right now at this high level.”
“When you look at his physical build, right? It reminds me of LeBron James and Karl Malone,” Perkins said. “Like, they have that body frame and they have that type of mentality. And they have that type of physical presence that they could do this for extended period of time.
“And so looking at Giannis only being 27 years old, he still has seven years max in his prime, but we don’t know what prime is no more. Like LeBron James has exceeded prime. It used to be 27 to 34, but now LeBron James is saying, ‘No, prime is what you put into your body.'”
This is an interesting point of view and seeing how players have managed to extend their productive years, it wouldn’t be crazy if Giannis does it, too. Antetokounmpo works a lot on his body and that won’t change anytime soon. Perhaps he’ll go further than LeBron and play at a high level past his 40s, but that’s me speculating. Giannis is still young and has a lot of things to live and achieve in the future. He could be part of the GOAT conversation if he achieved any of this, but time will tell how his career unfolds.
