By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from Greece to Milwaukee, having fulfilled pretty much everything he wanted as a basketball player.
A medal, even a bronze, with the Greek national team was the only thing missing, and he got it.
Still, this doesn’t mean he doesn’t want more. Giannis explained how he approaches the season and to an extent what’s going to be the last part of his career: “I think every basketball player, every athlete, they start their career and then like have this quest, like what they want to accomplish and what they want to be remembered for. And I think at this point, I’ve accomplished everything that I’ve put my mind to. But now I just want more. Like I want to win another championship. I want to win another medal for the national team, because legacy is very important for me.”
Giannis, the first Greek to win an NBA championship title, is already a lock for the Hall of Fame when he decides to call it a day; he still wants an even bigger status for himself in the history of the game.
As he said: “What I’m going to be remembered for, how I’m going to be one of the all-time greats. And that’s step by step, you know—practice by practice, game by game, season by season. Just keep on stacking days. Keep on being consistent and available. And good things are going to happen. But like you got to play to win. I don’t play to just be around or get paid. I’m very blessed. I take care of my family. I can live with nothing. But I play to win. I play to accomplish stuff on the court.”
This also includes a plan to monitor his body and ensure his longevity, until he “disappears” on a Greek island.
Giannis admitted that as a 30-year-old player also has to take all this into account: “I think you should sit down with your doctors and your physios four times a year minimum to, you know, talk about like what you want to accomplish from your body. How can you stay healthy? What is the goal in every season that you play? I think just guys are smarter about how to take care of their bodies, and that’s why you see guys playing longer now. And for me, that’s what I want to do too. This is year 13. It’s like when I get to 36, I think I’ll still be able to play at a high level of basketball because I take good care of my body. So that would be year 19 for me. And after that, we’ll see. We’ll see how much we can go. If we can go, we’ll go. If we cannot go, we are going to disappear on an island in Greece.”