The Milwaukee Bucks have broken the bank to get Damian Lillard, while also trying to keep other key pieces in place on the team. Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are set to make a combined $90.2 million in salaries(about $45.6 million each) in 2023-24. Shaquille O’Neal seems to be hyped by the prospect of the Bucks’ superstar duo taking to the floor together next season. The big man even took to his Instagram to compare the brand new Bucks duo of Dame and the Greek Freak to a Championship winning Milwaukee duo of the past from over 50 years ago.
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Lillard and Giannis played their first game together recently, during the preseason warm-up. The presence of the duo on the hardwood provided Milwaukee fans a glimpse of what they might expect next year.
Shaquille O’Neal compares Giannis-Dame duo to Big O and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Shaquille O’Neal is quite active on social media when it comes to talking about basketball. The Lakers legend recently took to his Instagram to share a picture of the legendary Milwaukee Bucks duo of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson.
The image showed a young Oscar and Kareem in one half, while the other half had a picture of Dame and Giannis. The Diesel in all probability, is telling everyone to watch out cause there is another Oscar and Kareem in town. The comparison is a good omen for Dame and Giannis, as the Bucks duo of Oscar and Kareem won a Championship together in 1971.
The Championship expectations are also present for Dame and Giannis. Both players of the superstar duo have been very vocal for years about their hopes of winning Championships. Shaq’s comparison between the two point guard-center duos seems apt, considering the immense potential of both pairings.
Meanwhile, the Lillard-Antetokounmpo duo seems to have hit the ground running, as they recently took out the Lakers with a score of 108-97, even though both stars played less than half their usual minutes. Dame played only 22 minutes and put up 14 points, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds. Giannis played 15 minutes, putting up 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 assist. Even though it’s hard to assess anything from the pre-season games, the early signs are a warning to the rest of the NBA to strap up, cause a storm is brewing in Milwaukee.
Lillard and Giannis send a message in their first NBA game together
What can two players, who have never played an NBA game together do on their first outing? Well even with their minutes cut in half, Dame and Giannis gave the NBA a glimpse of what is to come. The Dame-Giannis pick and roll, while also having Lopez and Middleton as excellent 3-point shooters, is a formula for domination.
Dame even addressed the same query about how ‘unguardable’ the team is going to be. The former Portland star told reporters, “He can dominate a game and win you a game…The first couple plays of the game, they trap me, and the guy that I’m releasing the ball to is Giannis. We can do this all night.”
Though the Bucks did lose some defense by trading away Jrue Holiday, the team does look like an improved unit as a whole. With two MVP-level players still in their prime, the Bucks are definitely the team to beat in the East this season.
