Giannis Antetokounmpo recently made an appearance on ESPN producer Bruce Bernstein’s YouTube show ‘48 Minutes‘, and answered a multitude of questions about his career. One of his biggest admissions was that he avoids working out with fellow NBA players. The Bucks superstar revealed that he tends to lose his edge against players he befriends, something he can’t afford to do as he looks to win another NBA Championship soon. That being said, former players seem to be fair game for the two-time MVP. In fact, Antetokounmpo expressed his excitement at the prospect of training with Hakeem Olajuwon this summer, something LeBron James also did 12 years ago.
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James was indisputably, the best player in the NBA for well over a decade. Perhaps the biggest reason behind that fact is that ‘the King’ has always been willing to learn, especially from legends of the game. So, following the trend set by many players prior to him, including Kobe Bryant, James decided to train with Hakeem Olajuwon in the summer of 2011. While King James had to pay a whopping $50,000 per week for training with Dream, it seems to have been worth it because there has been a significant change in his footwork since then.
Giannis Antetokounmpo reveals why he is excited to train with Hakeem Olajuwon
As mentioned previously, Giannis Antetokounmpo admitted that he prefers not to work out with active NBA players since he fears losing his edge. However, the star has worked out with two former NBA players like – Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. Looking to add to that prestigious list, ‘the Greek Freak’ revealed he will be flying down to Houston soon to practice with Hakeem Olajuwon. The Greek star told the hosts of 48 Minutes:
“This season, before the training camp, I’m going to go down to Houston, and try to workout with Hakeem Olajuwon…It’s a few people that I have worked out with, KG (Kevin Garnett), Kobe (Bryant), and Hakeem will be the third guy. I love his game, and if I can take a few things, or learn from the few days I’m going to spend with him, it is going to be a blessing.
He is a guy I looked up to my whole life. He is a guy that my parents look up to, because he was the #1 guy in Nigeria. He was the best athlete. In Nigeria, he was the best athlete, in Africa (even). So, just being able to spend some time with him, study the game with him, and learn from the greats, it is a blessing.”
Giannis was blessed with the height and athleticism to make it to the NBA. However, he had to work harder than most would think before he became an NBA superstar. Now, with him working out with the NBA legend who has helped so many NBA greats, the superstar could take his game to a whole new level, especially his footwork and ball-handling.
While that thought may be exciting, things aren’t quite as simple as that for the Buck. After all, he is still dealing with the knee injury that caused him to miss the FIBA World Cup.
How is Giannis’ knee looking?
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s knee injury during the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals has turned out to be far worse than what was initially expected. After hyperextending his knee in Game Four, it was later deduced that the star had clearly torn a ligament in his knee, one that protected the ACL and PCL.
While the Bucks centerpiece managed to play through it in the 2021 NBA Finals, the ailment later needed surgery and also caused many other niggling problems in his left knee last season. To fix that, he recently had a clean-up surgery and has been rehabilitating ever since.
So far, the Greek Freak is expected to be healthy prior to the start of training camp.
