By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Giannis Antetokounmpo became the sixth youngest player to reach 21,000 points in the NBA Regular Season, and 42nd overall. However, his ultimate goal is to make it to the top of the all-time scoring list.
“When I was younger, and a couple of years ago, I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s another day at the office. Let me just do my job, go back home.’ But as you get older, you start appreciating those moments. You don’t take it for granted,” he confessed about the milestone hit on Saturday.
“Being a kid from Greece from Sepolia, where I grew up in a small neighborhood, not a lot of great things happen there or come out of there. To be able to be in the stage and 13 years later to score 21,000 points, I’m very appreciative. I’ve had a great support system, with my family and God by my side. They’ve guided me through my whole journey. I’m happy. I have a lot of things, a lot of chapters that I want to keep on closing moving forward,” the Freak continued in a postgame media session, following a win over the Brooklyn Nets in Fiserv Forum. “I just got to stay locked in.”
Opening a four-game week, the team coached by Doc Rivers visits the Washington Wizards in Capital One Arena on Monday.
“Job is not done. Now you’ve got to start from the little things. You’ve got to win two games in a row. We have another one in two days. So, no matter what my goals are in five years, seven years, ten years down the line doesn’t matter, we’ve got to survive on Monday,” explained the 30-year-old point forward.
“I just got to keep my head down, keep on working hard, keep on being disciplined, keep on being available for my teammates, and I know great things are going to happen, because I put in the work. I don’t think there’s anybody more disciplined than me,” he said.
At 21,002 regular-season points, Giannis obviously ranks 42nd on the all-time scoring list, but is looking for further progress all the way to the top.
“We’ve got to talk about who those guys are,” he commented on the five previous achievements at a younger age, out of the 41 players over him. “We are talking about Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Wilt [Chamberlain], and Kevin Durant. I think it’s the GOATs of the GOATs.”
“Have I accomplished as much as they? I don’t think so. Do I have a lot of room to improve and room to grow in the years to keep on writing my own legacy? Yes. And I think getting to the top of the scoring list is not six, seven, or eight years away. In my opinion, it’s four to five years away. I think when I am going to be 35 years old and sitting in this chair, we are going to have a discussion about me at the top of the all-time list in scoring. And I would have talked that into existence, and not just talk into existence because I believe that I’m going to do it. It’s something that I want to do,” he stressed.
At 42,250 points and counting, LeBron James sits as the all-time NBA scoring leader.
“Again, that’s too far away. Four or five years from now, I might have four other kids. My wife might have left me. Who knows? Four or five years prior to this, I didn’t have kids, and now I have kids. So, I just have to worry about Monday against Washington, and stay healthy, leave that game healthy, leave that game with a win. And when it’s all said and done, we’ll sit down and do the math,” Giannis added.