To label Giannis Antetokounmpo as one of the rising greats in the NBA, only one box remained unchecked, and that was an NBA championship. Now, that the Milwaukee Bucks have held the Larry O'Brien Trophy thanks to him, after 50 years, Giannis has a big load off his shoulders.
But if we looked back, he has had moments that had us in awe of him. Take a look!
It all happened in seconds. With the buzzer about to go off, Jrue Holiday steals the ball from Devin Booker only to pass it to Giannis Antetokounmpo for a dunk. At the time the series was tied at 2-2 and this bucket will be talked about for years to come because of its beauty and the crucial moment that it happened.
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Back in 2019, the Bucks had just entered the playoffs after a stellar regular season. Their first-round matchup was the Detroit Pistons and defeated them brutally. But the highlight was Giannis rising for a dunk against 6'10" Drummond, then brought the ball back to his body and then put it up for an incredible layup. This was even called Jordan-esque.
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The Bucks had suffered a big upset at the hands of the Raptors, especially Kawhi Leonard, who seemed like he had found a cheat code to guard Giannis. The Raptors had dropped the first two games, only to win the next four and advance to the NBA Finals. So after that when Giannis sat in a press conference, his emotions got the best of him and he left mid-way.
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In 2018, Giannis gave a new meaning to his name 'Greek Freak' while playing against the New York Knicks at MSG. Giannis converted Middleton's pass into a dunk and literally jumped over the 6'6" Tim Hardaway Jr. to do it.
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While we all witnessed an emotional Giannis after he won the NBA championship this season, we saw this authenticity the first time when Giannis cried during the speech after winning his first MVP award.
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There's a lot more to Giannis than big blocks and dynamic dunks. Critics point out that Giannis can't shoot but he has proved that he can pull it off even during big moments. In 2017, he did a step-back buzzer-beater for the ages at just 22 against the Knicks.
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it's not shocking when a player like Giannis has a big night but when he does it in a crucial do-or-die situation, it's although more impressive. To clinch the title for the Bucks after half a century, Giannis put up an astonishing 50 points on the scoreboard in Game 6 against the Suns to make it happen.
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