Giannis Antetokounmpo has never lacked confidence, and after becoming the sixth-youngest player in NBA history to reach 21,000 career points, he took that confidence to a whole new level. Speaking after Milwaukee’s 116–99 win over Brooklyn, Giannis said something that instantly grabbed the attention of the league and, without question, LeBron James himself.
He believes he can become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in four to five years.
“First of all, we have to talk about who those guys are because I just saw those guys. Talk about Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kevin Durant. I think it’s the GOATs of the GOATs. And I don’t think anybody disagrees in this room.”
“I don’t think anybody in this world disagrees; just to be in that list with them is incredible. Have I accomplished as much as them? I don’t think so. Do I have a lot of room to improve and room to grow in years to keep on writing my own legacy? Yes.”
“And I think getting to the top of the scoring list is not six, seven, or eight years away. I think it’s in my opinion I think it’s four years away, four, five years away, four and a half years away I think when we are going to be 35 years old and sitting this year going to have a discussion of I am in the top list of all time in scoring and I would have that into existence and not just into existence because I believe that I’m going to do it, it’s something that I want to do.”
“But hey, again that’s too far away. Four, five years from now, I might have four other kids [laughter]. I don’t know if my wife might have left me. Who knows, maybe four, five years from now, four, five years before this, I had zero. I didn’t have kids, and I have kids now. So I just have to worry about Monday against Washington and stay healthy.”
It was bold. It was funny. It was very Giannis. But the math, unfortunately for him, tells a very different story.
Giannis currently has 21,002 career points. LeBron has 42,250. Even in the most generous scenario, the climb is enormous. Giannis would need another 21,248 points just to tie LeBron’s current total. And that assumes LeBron never scores another point, which is obviously not happening. For Giannis to erase that gap in four years, he would need to average roughly 65 points per game for four straight 82-game seasons. Even if he averaged 30 per night, which only a handful of players in NBA history have done consistently, he would need 700 games to add 21,000 more points. That is over eight and a half full seasons of perfect health.
And then there’s the reality that LeBron is still active, still productive, and still adding to that record every night.
In other words, Giannis chasing the scoring crown is realistic over the long arc of his career. Giannis catching LeBron by 2029 is not.
But that doesn’t make his comment meaningless. If anything, it shows the mindset that has made him one of the greatest players of his generation. Giannis talked openly about growth, improvement, preparation, and staying healthy. He joked about life changing around him, even saying he might have ‘four more kids’ in five years. The message underneath the humor was clear: he isn’t afraid to dream big, speak boldly, and push himself toward a legacy bigger than what he has already built.
And that legacy is already incredible. Giannis is averaging 30.9 points this season, making it his fourth straight year above the 30-point mark. He has been top five in MVP voting for seven straight seasons. He is one of the most dominant inside scorers since Shaquille O’Neal, and he continues to evolve his game with better playmaking, stronger footwork, and a more efficient offensive approach. He may never touch LeBron’s scoring record, but he will absolutely keep climbing the list.
Top ten is realistic.
Top five is possible with health and longevity.
But catching LeBron James? That’s damn near impossible.
Giannis dreaming out loud isn’t delusion. It’s the same ambition that took him from a raw project in Greece to a two-time MVP and an NBA champion. The record may be out of reach, but the belief is what matters.
And honestly, the NBA is more fun when Giannis talks like this.
