Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is at the top of his individual game, even if his team isn’t at the top of its powers. He averaged 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.2 blocks a game while shooting 60.1% from the field this season, and while he won’t win the NBA’s MVP award, he will surely get a decent amount of votes.
At 6-foot-11, he is a truly unique player. While some consider him a big man, he plays the way a guard or wing does. He brings the ball upcourt and attacks in transition, and his speed, athleticism and long strides make him arguably basketball’s most feared player on the fast break today.
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The two-time MVP was asked on X (formerly Twitter) which athlete he admired growing up, and he named three NBA players. One of them was Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson.
Johnson, of course, was the engine that made the Showtime Lakers go during the 1980s. He led them to five world championships and nine finals appearances in 12 full seasons with them, and in doing so, he transformed them from a bridesmaid franchise into one that has since been the gold standard of basketball.
He did so by being the quintessential lead man of the Showtime Lakers’ fast break, which is considered the greatest of all time. He pushed the ball upcourt with reckless abandon, but he also used his 6-foot-9 frame to his advantage in the paint, especially when the game slowed down.
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Johnson, along with his rival Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, changed the NBA from a league that was struggling in the late 1970s to one that was the hottest sports commodity in America by the mid-1980s. Men such as Antetokounmpo owe them a debt of gratitude for paving the way for them and allowing them to do their thing before a worldwide audience while making a huge fortune.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: The Lakers legend Giannis Antetokounmpo grew up admiring