Miami Heat (formerly Milwaukee Bucks) superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most inspiring stories in the sporting world. Hailing from humble beginnings, Antetokounmpo carved out his legacy in the NBA through sheer grit and hard work, positioning himself as one of the best players in the game.
Like all the greats of the game, Giannis Antetokounmpo was inspired and driven to success by different role models over the course of his career. While speaking about these with former Bucks broadcaster Jim Paschke in a recent interview, Antetokounmpo credited those who inspired him.
“In sports, our success is just winning the championship,” Antetokounmpo began. “Now there’s some people who have never won a championship, like Charles Barkley, a lot of other players, not just Charles Barkley, but they have impacted the game, they’re part of the culture.”
Charles Barkley is one of the first names that come to mind when thinking of great NBA players who came up short in their pursuit of a championship. However, he wasn’t Giannis Antetokounmpo’s favorite player growing up.
“Allen Iverson never won championships. He was my favorite player growing up, and I looked up to him. I wanted to be him. I had cornrows because of him as a kid. So, I was able to get older, work hard, make the NBA, and then win a championship. He’s part of my success.”
Allen Iverson is one of the most iconic players in NBA history. Beyond his unique playing style that changed the game, Iverson brought flair and personality to the sport, making him a role model to many.
As impactful as he was on the court, Iverson was also one of the most culturally significant players in NBA history. Although his lifestyle choices could be questioned to some extent, Iverson’s legacy can never be overlooked.
A Former Teammate Was Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Source Of Motivation
While drawing inspiration from a player like Allen Iverson is promising for a guard, it isn’t necessarily the ideal skill set for a forward like Giannis Antetokounmpo. For that, Antetokounmpo would have to find different ways to improve and stay motivated.
It goes without saying that Antetokounmpo’s rise to stardom after his third year in the NBA caught many off guard. However, when speaking about his sudden improvement, Giannis Antetokounmpo gave props to his former teammate Jabari Parker. He shared:
“One of my biggest motivators in my career, one of my favorite teammates also, Jabari Parker. Now I was able to kind of measure myself against him, right? They had him as a he was the number two pick, and he will be an All-Star, he’ll be MVP… And every single day I said okay I will try to work; if he works one hour, I will work one hour and a half. If he works two hours, I work two hours and a half every single day.”
“That was one of the guys that, until today, I’ve never told him this, but he motivated me so much to be better because he was so damn good. So damn good.”
Jabari Parker was drafted just one year after Antetokounmpo and was widely regarded as one of the best players in his draft class. As an elite prospect, it was only a matter of time before he would compete with Antetokounmpo for a larger role in the rotation.
While Parker was gifted, he was extremely unlucky with injuries. Although his sophomore season hinted at good signs for the future, Parker struggled to stay healthy and gradually regressed.
After his time with the Bucks came to an end in 2018, Parker found himself bouncing around the league, struggling to establish himself as a rotation piece. Once the 2021-22 season came to an end, he eventually moved overseas to play professionally. He recently played for the Spanish team Joventut Badalona.
It is intriguing how connected Parker’s and Antetokounmpo’s careers are. After Parker’s departure, Giannis Antetokounmpo went on to win his first MVP award. By 2021, Antetokounmpo also won his first NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Given how gifted Jabari Parker was, it certainly would have been intriguing to see how he and Antetokounmpo would have fared as a duo in Milwaukee. Now, with Antetokounmpo also moving on from the Bucks to begin a new chapter in his career, this will remain another “what if” for the Bucks to ponder over.
