Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo officially named All-Star captain

It was finally revealed Thursday evening that Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will serve as a captain at this year’s NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte next month.

In news that should surprise absolutely no one, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has officially punched his ticket to this year’s NBA All-Star game.

As was revealed by the Inside the NBA crew on TNT, the 24-year-old Greek dynamo will be making his third straight All-Star appearance in Charlotte next month for the 68th edition of the NBA’s midseason classic.

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What’s more is that being the leading vote getter in the Eastern Conference after garnering 4,375,747 fan votes, Antetokounmpo will serve as a captain, along with Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

Of course, that means Antetokounmpo will be solely responsible to fill out his 12-man team between the starters and reserves selected and this year’s All-Star Draft is slated to be televised on February 7 on TNT at 6 p.m. central time.

This will mark the third consecutive time that Antetokounmpo has been named an All-Star starter, a distinction that only he and Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar share in Bucks franchise history (Abdul-Jabbar was named an All-Star starter from the 1970-71 season to the 1974-75 year, his last in a Bucks uniform).

That’s only par for the course in what has been a transcendent season for the leading MVP candidate as he’s currently averaging 26.5 points on 57.8 percent shooting from the field, along with 12.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals in his 43 appearances so far this year.

But as has increasingly come into focus over the span of his development, Antetokounmpo’s profile keeps on climbing to new heights the further his star his risen over the last few seasons.

The fact that the Bucks are currently experiencing their best season in over three decades slightly enhances how much of a shoo-in Antetokounmpo across All-Star ballots between fans, the media and players around the league

Now with Antetokounmpo’s All-Star bid officially signed, sealed and delivered, questions about his running mates’ candidacy will continue to bubble up until the votes from the coaches around the league are revealed this time next Thursday.

Not only that, but if the Bucks continue at their winning pace and lead the standings in the Eastern Conference, head coach Mike Budenholzer would join his superstar and helm Antetokounmpo’s team in Charlotte, which would certainly make for a nice recognition for the job he and his staff have done in their first season in Milwaukee this year.

All of those questions will soon be answered, but it’s becoming quite clear that the Bucks will have a big presence during this year’s NBA All-Star Weekend three weeks from now.

And that’s not even counting whether starting Bucks big man Brook Lopez will lock down an invite to this year’s three-point shootout that Saturday night or if co-majority owner Marc Lasry will make his fourth consecutive appearance at this year’s All-Star Celebrity game on that Friday evening.

For now, we shall revel in the glory of Antetokounmpo’s third straight All-Star appearance and we’ll have to see what kind of fireworks he will have up his sleeve when he leads his squad into action that Sunday night in Charlotte.