In the current day NBA, there is a huge power struggle for who’s the best player in the league. Before the season started, there was a constant debate between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Stephen Curry. Giannis has been performing brilliantly for the past few years. On the other hand, Steph has been a star since 2013, and he carried the Warriors to a championship in 2022. In the first few weeks of the season, Luka Doncic has also added his name to the list.
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However, the case was very different during the 2016-17 season. The Golden State Warriors had been to two consecutive finals, getting a split result. They had just signed Kevin Durant. In the 2017 All-Star Game, the Warriors had four players, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson, represent them. Steph was playing his 4th All-Star Game at that point.
On the other hand, Giannis Antetokounmpo was playing his first All-Star game, making a huge mark in his debut.
Stephen Curry called out Giannis Antetokounmpo after getting dunked on twice
During the 2016-17 season, Giannis Antetokounmpo was coming into his own. He went from averaging 16.9 points in the ’15-16 season to 22.9 points in the ’16-17 season. This earned him his first All-Star selection.
During that All-Star Game, Giannis and Steph were on opposite teams. As a result, Steph saw what Giannis could do to a smaller guard on offense. Out of the 30 points Giannis had that night, he scored 6 of them over Stephen Curry. Four were in the form of poster dunks, and we all remember the other two, when Steph laid down and let Giannis run free on a fast break.
After the game, Giannis sat down for an interview, where he was asked what Steph said to him. Antetokounmpo replied and said, “Stop dunking on me!”
After getting dunked on that many times, it is understandable why Steph would go to the Greek Freak and tell him to back off.
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Steph and Giannis in All-Star Games
Ever since he played his first All-Star game in 2017, Giannis hasn’t missed a single one. He’s been a started in all the following ASGs. On the other hand, Stephen Curry has started in all of the All-Star Games since as well, except 2020, where he missed out the season due to a wrist fracture.
As luck would have it, the All-Star format changed after 2017, and it changed to pick-up style teams, instead of the classic East vs West. Whenever Giannis and Steph were both playing, they have been teammates, and they seem to have a lot of fun together.
After getting dunked on by Giannis, Curry now enjoys tossing ridiculous Alley-Oops to the big man.
