Barack Obama’s ‘Mid Range’ Request For Giannis Antetokounmpo Resurfaces

Former US President Barack Obama’s four-year-old video talking about Giannis Antetokounmpo seems to have resurfaced online. Obama was asked to choose between the likes of Giannis, Luka Doncic, and Zion Williamson while on The Bill Simmons Podcast. The video, now uploaded by the RingerNBA has Obama emphasizing how unstoppable The Greek Freak would be if he developed his mid-range game.

The original question asked by Simmons was to choose between the three stars to build a championship team around. And this is what the former POTUS had to say.

“I wanna see if Giannis gets a mid-range this year…Everyone’s worried about Giannis getting a three-point shot. Giannis needs a 12-footer or a 15-footer. That’s what matters. Right? If he does, then I think he’s unstoppable.”

Obama further went on to draw comparisons to Kawhi Leonard and even Jazz legend, Karl Malone.

“If he has the same shot as a Karl Malone or even Kawhi, right? Where in crunch time, he can just pull up. Who’s gonna block that shot?”

As good as Antetokounmpo is, there are a few pitfalls to his game. Opposing players tend to leave him alone when he’s behind the arc. Players often don’t give Giannis the same respect as others when he’s shooting from the field either. The former president was certainly onto something.

Now, the interesting thing about Obama’s advice was its timing. The interview dates back to December 2020. And Giannis went on to win his first title during the same season as well.

Since the first two years in the league, Giannis has shot well over 50% from the field. However, those shots are mostly layups, or him bulldozing his way to the rim. Since then, Giannis’ mid-range game has seen a slight improvement.

Unfortunately, it’s not enough for him to stop relying on bullying players to finish at the rim. The Greek Freak’s three-point percentage has even seen a slight dip since the team’s championship season according to StatMuse. 

This past offseason, the Bucks struggled to win games once again due to Antetokounmpo’s injury. And while Milwaukee had Damian Lillard as the second fiddle behind Giannis, the All-Star guard wasn’t enough to help the Bucks past the first round.

The Bucks may have shooters on their roster. But that shouldn’t stop Giannis from working on his own mid and long-range game. The Greek Freak excels in finishing around the rim and the league is aware of that. He may seem unstoppable in the paint now, but if Antetokounmpo develops an outside shot, he could very well lead the Bucks to another title.