Giannis Antetokounmpo is currently one of the biggest names in NBA, but there was a time when his coach compared him to Nicolas Batum.
Advertisement
Giannis Antetokounmpo is an absolute beast. He has become such an exceptional player that people seem to forget the start of his career.
Back in 2013, in his rookie year, Giannis was seen as a good role player. He started just 23 games and averaged only 6.8 points per game. The next two years saw him improve but it was in his fourth season that he truly found his stride.
In a tweet back in 2013, Jonathan Wasserman, a draft analyst compared him to Nicolas Batum. This was back before the Antetokounmpo joined the league. In fact, Jonathan called him Giannis Adetokunbo.
Years later, Giannis’ coach made the same mistake of bringing Batum into the conversation but the Greek superstar immediately shut him down.
Giannis would have gone back to Greece if he turned out like Batum
To be fair to Nicolas Batum, he was a decent player. He even had a season where he averaged 15+ points per game. But compared to where Giannis is now, there is absolutely no comparison between him and Antetokounmpo.
But when Giannis started off for the Milwaukee Bucks, Assistant Coach Josh Oppenheimer wanted Giannis to become like Nicolas Batum.
Once after practice, he sat down with the Greek Freak and told him to observe the former Charlotte Hornets player.
Oppenheimer: “Really look at him. He’s a really good player. If you work really hard, you might be able to be a Nic Batum type of player.”
Josh’s comment stunned Giannis into silence. After a brief pause, he basically told Josh to not even think about it. He claimed that if he ever became Nic Batum, he’d quit NBA and go back to Greece.
Giannis: “If I become Nic Batum, I’m going back to Greece.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo was destined for greatness
Even when he was barely a starter, Giannis had set his hopes high. He wanted to do the best he could, wanted to go for greatness rather than just make do with being just a decent player.
In his prolific career, he has earned ample accolades. In fact, he has also made a lot of money playing at such a high level. The Greek Freak, having come from a financially challenged household, treated this newfound money with a lot of respect.
Weirdly he opened up 50 accounts with 50 different banks. His coach revealed that Giannis Antetokounmpo has stored exactly $250,000 in those accounts. To each their own, we suppose.
