Giannis Antetokounmpo sparked a big debate around the NBA when he fired back at a question about the Milwaukee Bucks being a failure this season.
Antetokounmpo said that losing in the first round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat wasn’t a failure, and the Bucks are just taking steps to success. Not many people agreed with those remarks, including Shaquille O’Neal, who explained why this was a failure for the Bucks (9:22 mark).
“When you’re touted as the best, you’re expected to win, and if you don’t, it’s a failure. It’s not bad. I’m not a failure as a player, but I failed the city, I failed the team and I failed to reach my accomplishments. Period. Point blank.”
“So, he won two years ago, and we all know when you win, what do they expect you to do? Go back-to-back. Win again. … And then you lost to an eighth seed. You can’t lose to no eighth seed and say it’s not a failure. It’s a failure.”
O’Neal said that when he was the man, he was expected to win, and he failed 15 times during his career while winning four championships. Shaq knows how complex things are in the league and how hard it is to win a title, but when teams are in a certain position, not winning is considered a failure, no matter what.
The Bucks were expected to go all the way to the Finals, but the Miami Heat told otherwise, sending them home in five games and prompting the front office to part ways with Mike Budenholzer.
Giannis’ Comments Have Drawn Different Reactions
These comments made a lot of noise around the league, and many people compared Giannis’ remarks to others, including Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, who had different opinions on how certain seasons ended.
Steve Kerr agreed with Antetokounmpo and lauded his mentality, saying that the NBA is blessed to have someone like him. For many, Giannis was simply telling excuses, but for others, he understood that winning a championship is anything but easy, and the Bucks had several reasons to fall short this year.
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