Giannis Antetokounmpo is on his way to being the best player in the NBA, and, along with James Harden, is a front-runner for this year’s MVP award.
The Bucks star has gone from a lanky, skinny 18-year-old with mounds of potential to one of the most physically imposing players in the league. Antetokounmpo still sees plenty of areas for improvement, and has leaned on some of the game’s best from the previous era during summers to try and work to get better. Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett have both worked with Giannis in the gym, and that’s apparently had an affect on him not just on the court but off it as well.
Antetokounmpo sat down with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski recently and Woj asked why he doesn’t seem to have that many close friends around the league, as compared to many other stars who have high profile friendships with some of their top competitors. Giannis explained that’s by design, citing how his two mentors and Michael Jordan never seemed all that close with their opponents, either.
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“I don’t know, was Kobe ever close with his [opponents],” Antetokounmpo said. “Was Kevin Garnett every close with the guys he played against? Was Jordan? I think it’s just being competitive. If I know I’m going to play against them and I’m going to see them in the playoffs or see them for many more years to come, I try to stay away and not build a lot of relationships, because I know that when I get on the court I’m going to go 100 percent. Maybe if I have a good relationship with somebody he might expect me to go 50 percent or take it easy on him. I don’t want anything holding me back out there.”
The friendliness of stars has been something many from the past have questioned about players from this era, so they’ll likely be thrilled to hear this perspective from Giannis. It certainly seems to work for Antetokounmpo, so it’s hard to argue against his methods.
That said, it’s also been pretty clear that guys like LeBron James know how to separate on and off court relationships, and still be at their best even when competing with their closest friends. Everyone operates a little differently, and for Giannis he prefers to stay distant so when he’s on the floor, he feels most comfortable attacking with no regard for the guy opposite of him.
