- All cameras will be on him Friday night in Paris during the NBA game between Milwaukee and Charlotte. He is Giannis Antetokounmpo, a real phenomenon.
- The Greek, born of Nigerian parents, is first of all a physical monster, with exceptional measurements. But not only. Technically too, the Bucks player is above the rest.
- Do all his qualities make him the perfect prototype of the basketball player?
With him, basketball seems easy. The public of the AccorHotels Arena will quickly realize this Friday evening during Charlotte-Milwaukee: Giannis Antetokounmpo is going faster, higher, stronger than the others. A true phenomenon at the top of its art. At 25, he was voted best player in the NBA last year (MVP) and has just passed 10,000 career points.
The winger owes this domination to an exceptional physique. It is not nicknamed the Greek Freak (“Greek monster”) by chance. Very large (2.11 m), the No. 34 Bucks has a wingspan of 2.22 m with, at the end, huge hands. Or 30 centimeters in length between the ends of his thumb and his little finger. What almost make a basketball for a tennis ball ...
"At more than 2 meters, players can often be clumsy, not him"
"What is even more impressive is its ability to move as quickly and as high in relation to its size," said Fabrice Serrano, physical trainer for the Bourg-en-Bresse team (Jeep Elite). “At more than 2 meters, the players can often be clumsy, not him. "
Not at all. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the king of the coast-to-coast. With a stride of 2.64 m, he can cross the field in two dribbles, or almost. “We could for example compare him to Dirk Nowitski, who was a similar size but who moved much less well. Magic Johnson, he was very active but did not exploit his scale as much, "continues the man who also manages the training center of the Bressan club. “As for Michael Jordan, he was a little smaller (1.98 m) but compensated by other qualities. "
The stepback for 10K. @ Harleydavidson | #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/j5zLrDVmK7
- Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 21, 2020The Greek is not lacking either and stands out in all the statistical categories. Second best scorer (30 points / match) in the League this season, sixth rebounder (12.8), thirtieth passer (5.6) and ... leading the evaluation (34.1) ahead of James Harden or LeBron James. Two players who don't defend as much as he does ...
In constant progression
Would he have become the perfect basketball player? "No, because he says it himself, he can still progress in several sectors," replied former player and coach Chris Singleton, now a consultant for beIN Sports. “But what is strong with Antetokounmpo is that he has not stopped improving since his arrival in the NBA in 2013. At the start of his career, he used his verticality to be a great striker. Since then, he has worked and is better at free throws and in his mid-distance shoot. He will have to continue if he wants to win something because this is also where we recognize a great player. We count his (champion) rings! "
For the moment, this son of Nigerian immigrants, who spent his childhood on the streets of Athens selling counterfeits, has never managed to carry his franchise through to the grand finale. A task in its incredible journey that could quickly be erased. In mid-season, the Bucks are largely at the head of the Eastern conference, carried by Antetokounmpo.
"He wants to win everything, all the time"
“In the field, he is a very aggressive person. He is very strong mentally and always wants to win, all the time, ”confirms French international Axel Toupane, who briefly encountered the phenomenon in 2017 in Wisconsin. “But apart from the parquet floors, he is really a very nice person! ".
"If he and his team stay on the same trajectory, he will still be elected MVP this season," says Chris Singleton, before concluding: "Ultimately, yes, it is the player who will dethrone LeBron as god of basketball. For now, he is only a sub-god! "
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