During a chat with Rob Lepelstat, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo reflected on his “welcome to the NBA moment.” As Giannis recalls, it happened in his first game against Kyrie Irving.
“Went out there to do the pregame warmup,” said Giannis. “I see Kyrie Irving coming out. This is my first game ever. I was just playing Kyrie Irving on 2k the year before! These guys are coming out in slow motion… and then I think he gave us like 40.”
A “welcome to the NBA” moment typically refers to the occasion when young players get shown or embarrassed on the court by veterans. For most players, it happens somewhere in their rookie season and the same was true for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who came straight to the league from the Greek B Basket League.
The moment for Giannis was back in December of 2013 when Giannis was just a few months into his NBA career. After being drafted 15th overall, the Bucks believed in Giannis from the start and it didn’t take him long to earn a starting role in their rotation.
By December, Giannis was still adapting to the NBA landscape and that’s when he got to face Kyrie for the first time. With 39 points from Kyrie Irving, who also finished with 6 assists, the Cavaliers won the game by three points (114-11) and managed to hold Giannis to just 6 points in almost 23 minutes.
While it was hardly Giannis’ first game ever, it was still early enough to where he was mesmerized by young stars like Kyrie Irving, who averaged 20.8 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.6 rebounds per game that season. Today, Irving is still living up to that standard and continues to be a source of awe and wonder for all young players entering the league.
Despite several chances to link up, Irving has never called himself an NBA teammate with Giannis and he probably never will. At 32 years old, Uncle Drew is set to finish his career in Dallas and he’s on a mission to win one more championship before it’s all said and done.
For the Greek Freak, he has now reached the same level that Irving was. After making his first All-Star team in 2017, it’s been an abrupt ascension for Giannis, and as a 2x MVP, NBA champion, and 8x All-Star, he has more than exceeded expectations as a top draft 15 pick.
As an 11-year veteran, Giannis is now on the other side of those ‘welcome to the NBA” moments and he’s relishing every second. Going into next season, he’ll have a clean slate to set the tone early, and after last season’s highly disappointing performance, the pressure is on Antetokounmpo to lead his team back to a state of contention.
No matter what happens going forward, the Bucks need Antetokounmpo at his best to stand any chance in the West. Fortunately, as a multiple-time MVP already, Giannis has already proven himself more than capable of rising to the occasion. No doubt, Giannis will leave a strong impression on the rookies (and all players who cross his path) just like Irving did 10+ years ago.
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