Every player has a unique story of their first “Welcome to the NBA” moment when a veteran player in the league schooled them into realizing they have made it to the professional level, the pinnacle of the sport. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been so dominant in the past few seasons that he has often been the one giving the new generation of players that same moment.
Among his many victims on the court is Jabari Smith Jr., the Rockets’ star who recently signed a $122 million extension with the team. He appeared on the ‘Old Man and the Three’ podcast with Trey Murphy and recalled his “Welcome to the NBA” moment.
“Oh my gosh! I remember this like it was yesterday. My second game in the NBA, we played the Bucks. And we’re going over film, Jabari Smith-Antetokounmpo. He had like 36 (points), he went 14 for 16, like you know what I’m saying?”
“We in film, we’re prepping, we obviously say build a wall, there was no wall the whole game. I feel like I was on an island, coming to the bench mad, I’m like, ‘where everybody at?’ He was coming full speed, euro step, and just dunk. I just felt to a point there was nothing I could do.”
“He was posting up, I was trying to front. There was nothing I could do, honestly. So that was a very, very ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished that game with 44 points, going 17 of 21 from the field and making eight of his 13 free throws. He also had 12 rebounds and three assists in that game. In the same game, Jabari Smith Jr., as a rookie, had 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks while making five of his 15 attempts from the field, including three of seven from three-point range.
The game ended in a 125-105 loss for the Rockets. Following the game, Smith Jr. also spoke to the media and expressed his opinion on facing Antetokounmpo for the first time.
“It was fun,” Smith said. “Matching up against him and competing against him, just to see how he is, it was fun.”
There were rumors at the start of the offseason that the Rockets could bring Giannis Antetokounmpo to Houston for next season if the Greek superstar considers a move out of Milwaukee. If this duo is ever on the same team, the inside-outside threat on offense and the rim protection on defense are going to be a menace for the opposing teams. Giannis Antetokounmpo could be the perfect role model for Jabari Smith Jr.
