At the end of a busy summer, where he got married but above all where he was the flag bearer for Greece at the Olympic Games, helping his country reach the quarter-finals before falling against Germany, Giannis Antetokounmpo is preparing to begin his 12th season in the NBA.
A season which promises to be pivotal for the Bucks and for him, since it has been several years since failures have accumulated in the playoffs for the Wisconsin franchise, too often orphaned by its superstarinjured in key moments.
“I left my heart, my kidney and my knee on the ground, but…”
But to find his inner fire and motivate himself, Giannis Antetokounmpo was able to count this summer on all the contribution of Vassilis Spanoulishis coach. A living legend in Europe, and more particularly in Greece…
“ He changed my way of thinking » recognizes inside of Milwaukee. “ He changed my approach to the game, my love for the game. Sometimes I think we're in a comfort zone, a lot of people are there, without particularly wanting to be in it. But you have to surpass yourself, be demanding of yourself and of others around you, and that's what he did with me. »
A requirement noted in particular by Giannis Antetokounmpo when he struggled in the groups against Canada (34 points in 31 minutes), but Vassilis Spanoulis was still uncompromising with him, defeat obliged.
“ I left my heart, my kidney and my knee on the pitch, all of me in fact, but he still came to me to say: 'Your defense wasn't good enough' » says the 29-year-old. “ The next day, he told me: 'I didn't see that fire in your eyes, your defense wasn't good enough.' Every day it was something new and he just kept pushing me, over and over again, saying, 'You have more to give. When I was 29, I was the best player in Europe and I was winning titles, so what do you do?'“
Vassilis Spanoulis, a driving force for the future
Rather surprising when we know that Giannis Antetokounmpo was a double MVP in the NBA (2019, 2020), incidentally MVP of the Finals and champion in 2021, and that he remains one of the best players in the league (in the All-NBA First Team since 2019).
However, even if they affected him, the criticisms of Vassilis Spanoulis above all motivated the “Greek Freak” for the rest of his career, both with his selection and with his franchise.
“ All these discussions allowed me to realize that I still wanted to take on challenges » he adds simply. “ Sure, it stings and makes you angry, but it also puts you in a state of mind where you want to prove things. You don't want to disappoint [Vassilis Spanoulis]. Just like I don't want to disappoint Doc Rivers, Damian Lillard and my entire team here. »
Speaking of challenges and rising to the occasion, Giannis Antetokounmpo has already narrowed down the area he will work on to achieve his goals.
“ This season, my challenge will be to stay healthy, play in the playoffs and get through this damn first round, assert myself more » announces the one who has not played in a conference final since the playoffs… 2021, being especially injured in 2023 and 2024. “ Each season is important to me because, one day, I will be 35, 36 or even 38 years old and I will tell myself that my best years are behind me without having been able to accomplish everything I wanted. So I must dominate. »
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2013-14 | MIL | 77 | 25 | 41.4 | 34.7 | 68.3 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 6.8 |
| 2014-15 | MIL | 81 | 31 | 49.1 | 15.9 | 74.1 | 1.2 | 5.5 | 6.7 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 12.7 |
| 2015-16 | MIL | 80 | 35 | 50.6 | 25.7 | 72.4 | 1.4 | 6.2 | 7.7 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 16.9 |
| 2016-17 | MIL | 80 | 36 | 52.1 | 27.2 | 77.0 | 1.8 | 7.0 | 8.8 | 5.4 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 22.9 |
| 2017-18 | MIL | 75 | 37 | 52.9 | 30.7 | 76.0 | 2.1 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 26.9 |
| 2018-19 ★ | MIL | 72 | 33 | 57.8 | 25.6 | 72.9 | 2.2 | 10.3 | 12.5 | 5.9 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 27.7 |
| 2019-20 ★ | MIL | 63 | 30 | 55.3 | 30.4 | 63.3 | 2.2 | 11.4 | 13.6 | 5.6 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 29.5 |
| 2020-21 | MIL | 61 | 33 | 56.9 | 30.3 | 68.5 | 1.6 | 9.4 | 11.0 | 5.9 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 28.2 |
| 2021-22 | MIL | 67 | 33 | 55.3 | 29.3 | 72.2 | 2.0 | 9.6 | 11.6 | 5.8 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 29.9 |
| 2022-23 | MIL | 63 | 32 | 55.3 | 27.5 | 64.5 | 2.2 | 9.6 | 11.8 | 5.7 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 3.9 | 0.8 | 31.1 |
| 2023-24 | MIL | 73 | 35 | 61.1 | 27.4 | 65.7 | 2.7 | 8.8 | 11.5 | 6.5 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 30.4 |
| Total | 792 | 33 | 54.5 | 28.6 | 70.2 | 1.8 | 7.9 | 9.8 | 4.9 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 23.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
