Giannis Antetokounmpo has turned into arguably the best player in the world right now, but the Greek Freak wasn’t always as good as he is. He improved leaps and bounds throughout his career to reach a point where he became a back-to-back MVP and a Finals MVP. But even though it took him time to become a great player, the fire was always within Giannis from his early days, even his teammates saw it.
When he was on the Bucks in 2013 as a rookie, he averaged barely 7 points and 4 rebounds per game. But even then, he remained committed on defense. Going up against one of the best scorers in history, still, in his prime, Carmelo Anthony would daunt any rookie, but not Giannis. When the two played against one another in a game the Knicks won, there was a moment that showed exactly who Giannis was as a person and a player.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Got Angry With Carmelo Anthony For Talking Trash To His Teammates
Giannis Antetokounmpo has one characteristic that defines him as much as, if not more than, anything else. He is fiercely loyal, something he has shown by staying with the Bucks despite having the chance to move to a bigger market and forming a superteam guaranteed to win. And he showed his first glimpses against Anthony in his rookie season when Melo was talking smack to him and his teammates.
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“The reason was Carmelo. I don’t know, I respect him, he’s one of the best players so. But he can’t come out and start bullying my teammates, me, talk to me all the time. So I try to not react, talk to him backwards, you have to respect it but, if he do those things, then you have to respond. And tell him to stop, he can’t do those things. When you got there, I don’t care who you are, you’re just a jersey.
“Last year, I was just watching from the TV, this year I’m playing against him. Talking back. I think he makes me be more aggressive… I think he makes me play better.”
For Giannis as a rookie, to feel so strongly about the whole situation and try to take on one of the game’s best showcases what a mentally tough player he has always been. There is a reason the Greek Freak managed to reach the heights he has, and this is a perfect example of it.
