Demar DeRozan credits Giannis Antetokounmpo on JJ Redick’s podcast

Demar DeRozan talking about Giannis Antetokounmpo today:

After remarking on how dedicated Giannis Antetokounmpo has been towards his development to this point, DeRozan said “even to this day you can see how bad he wants it, you can see it physically, his demeanor.”

"When you go out there on the court, he’s a f**king killer. Every time."

Demar DeRozan acknowledged that when Giannis Antetokounmpo flips that switch, he is all business and his drive and dedication to want to be great make him a killer on the court. DeRozan finished his description by saying that competing against him, the Bucks and Bulls faced each other a grand total of nine times during DeRozan’s first year with the Bulls, why Giannis is an MVP and why he is regarded as one of the most dominant players in the league. An ESPN survey of scouts, executives and coaches done this off-season named Giannis Antetokounmpo the best player in the NBA today.

JJ Redick then mentioned that Giannis Antetokounmpo was the hardest player he has ever seen in the All-Star weekend Skills Competition. Redick and DeRozan together mused about Giannis not having an off switch in his body when it comes to basketball. Another player that had that mindset has an entire mentality named around him, the Mamba Mentality, the late Kobe Bryant, whom Giannis saw as a mentor after his retirement. Back in 2017, Giannis asked Kobe for a challenge, Kobe replied: “MVP”.

You can find the entire conversation from the Old Man and the Three podcast about Giannis here.

In a world filled with comments like the ones Charles Oakley and Gilbert Arenas have made in the last year, it is very refreshing to see a player, especially one as high caliber as Demar DeRozan, give credit and respect to Giannis, who is very deserving of it. In a world where several analysts and former players are in a race to make the hottest take for the sake of having people click on their stuff, respect is earned and when it is earned, seeing it shared is heartwarming. Credit to Demar DeRozan for sharing that respect for a player on a rival team.

Giannis has certainly built an impressive career for himself in the last four years, however he is only 27 years old and has a lot of time to continue building his resume and collecting more milestones in his career.

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