When Kobe Bryant and Nike released his latest Kobe A.D. on Thursday, the legend and future Hall of Famer tweeted some challenges out to Nike athletes, including a pair of NBA players that wear his sneakers on the court.
Isaiah Thomas was challenged to make the first team All-NBA in 2017-18 in, presumably, his first season with the Cavaliers. That challenge got trickier to accomplish after Thomas’ latest physical allegedly spooked the Cavaliers a bit with regards to his hip and has them reconsidering the trade with the Celtics as currently structured.
DeMar DeRozan’s challenge had nothing to do with his on-court production and was instead to rekindle friendships back home in Compton, California. While DeRozan and Thomas received challenges, one major star that has long worn Kobe’s sneakers did not.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is set to become a shoe free agent in September, has been fiercely loyal to the Kobe X sneaker for years, and he wanted to know where his challenge was on Thursday.
Still waiting for my challenge.. @kobebryant
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) August 24, 2017
On Sunday morning, Bryant finally responded and issued a major challenge to the Bucks’ budding superstar.
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) August 27, 2017
Antetokounmpo is coming off of a tremendous season where he became an All-Star for the first time and his sky-high potential suddenly became a realistic possibility. The Bucks’ star has already indicated that he wants to get himself into the MVP conversation next season, and now he has the added motivation of Kobe Bryant’s challenge.
Antetokounmpo would have to make another massive leap, particularly with his shooting efficiency from the perimeter, but if he can become a reliable outside shooter there’s no reason to think that with all his other talents he can’t be a legitimate MVP candidate in the very near future.
