Former English Prime Minister Tony Blair once spoke about the time he visited a remote village school in China where the children didn’t know what England was. But when he told them he was from the same country as David Beckham, there was a unanimous chorus of acknowledgment. A sign of sports and its stars, transcending geographic and cultural barriers.
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Beckham was to the world in the early 2000s what Lionel Messi and perhaps Cristiano Ronaldo are to it in 2025. However, Giannis Antetokounmpo thinks Michael Jordan trumps them all, while talking about stardom to streamer IShowSpeed.
Over the last few years, IShowSpeed has found himself in the unlikeliest of places, talking to some of the greatest athletes of all time across various sports. Last year, he had a one-on-one with Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant. This week, he is hanging out with the Milwaukee Bucks power forward.
Thursday’s live stream showed Speed and the Greek Freak sharing a meal on a rooftop in Greece. They spoke about stardom, brand values, Green cuisine, Lionel Messi, Nike, and, of course, Jordan. Giannis even tried to get Speed to meet Jordan, but they both soon realized it was easier said than done.
Giannis first warned Speed about not doing his signature bark in Jordan’s presence. “He’s very lowkey. I have never met him either, formally,” he admitted.
Unfortunately, the Nike representative Giannis spoke to about a potential meetup told him she would “let him know” after speaking to the boss. At this point, Speed realized the meeting was a pipe dream.
“You know what that means? A NO! Trust me. That means a no. Trust me. Bro, hear me out. I have been on all types of calls before. I know what the f**k that means,” Speed reiterated, talking about the Nike representative’s answer.
“If it’s a yes, fair play! But I have been on plenty of calls like that… Trust me. I know what that means, bro,” the streamer insisted.
As the pair discussed Jordan being so private that he doesn’t even have social media accounts, Giannis asked Speed if he knew anyone more famous than the Chicago Bulls legend.
“More famous than Michael Jordan?” Speed repeated, as if to confirm, before saying Cristiano Ronaldo. When Giannis responded by asking him to name four more, Speed came back with Messi.
“You think Messi is more famous than Michael Jordan?” Giannis asked him before Speed admitted Jordan’s brand was really famous. “You know how much money the Jordan brand makes? $5 billion … a year,” Giannis retorted.
Then the pair went on to talk about what they would do if their brand made $5 billion. Truth be told, even those with no knowledge of basketball have heard of the Jordan brand. It’s been that way for a few decades now, and thanks to those shoes, that’s unlikely to change.
Soccer is played in more than 200 countries across the globe. Millions virtually worship Lionel Messi. So this is a debate best left to fans.
