Today is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 28th Birthday and although that is still very young, the fact that Giannis has been with this organization since he was 18 years old is baffling. Giannis has been with the Milwaukee Bucks for nearly a decade, hopefully there is another decade to go.
Even now Giannis Antetokounmpo is pushing his career to new heights as Monday night’s game in Orlando was his seventh straight game scoring 30 or more points, a new career high.
The two-time Most Valuable Player doesn’t celebrate his accomplishments too often due to his great humility but today he should be celebrated for providing us with years of joy. From MVP’s to dad jokes to crazy plays in the NBA Finals that lead Milwaukee to their first championship in 50 years, the memories serve us nothing but happiness thinking about the first 10 years of Giannis’ career.
Allow me to take you down memory lane from 2013 to 2022 with a slideshow including 10 remarkable memories of the Greek Freak while being a member of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Top 10 memories of Giannis Antetokounmpo No. 10: Draft night and arrival in Milwaukee
On June 27, 2013, the Bucks made the best decision in the 55 year existence of the franchise, by selecting Giannis Antetokounmpo with the 15th pick of the 2013 draft. I’m sure we have all seen the video, where Giannis walks into the Bradley Center for the first time as a young teenager.
Giannis was new to the country and the Milwaukee Bucks at the time, Giannis was very interested in all the different history the Bucks had in the arena, including some banners that he looked up at, including a 1971 NBA Championship banner. It is such a memorable moment as Giannis went from being an oblivious kid from Greece to being the face of the franchise.
Top 10 memories of Giannis Antetokounmpo No. 9: 52 points against Philly
In a nationally televised game in March 2019, Antetokounmpo scored a career-high 52 points against the Philadelphia 76ers. Although the Bucks ultimately ended up losing the game, Giannis put everyone on notice that he is a dominant scorer, scoring plenty of electrifying dunks and occasional jump shots.
In addition to his 52 points, Giannis also put up 16 rebounds seven assists, two steals, one block and just one turnover. Giannis shot 15-of-26 from the field, 3-for-8 from behind the 3-point line and 19-for-21 at the free throw line, certainly efficiency in all three aspects we would welcome to this day.
Playing alongside the likes of Eric Bledsoe, DJ Wilson and Nikola Mirotic, Giannis’ 52 point night was highlighted by a back-down, in your face, poster dunk in the face of Ben Simmons. The 52 points scored by Giannis Antetokounmpo on this day still represents his career high.
Top 10 memories of Giannis Antetokounmpo No. 8: Buzzer Beater at Madison Square Garden
On January 4, 2017, Giannis made his first career game winner against the Knicks. Every superstar has game-winning baskets that put their greatness on display. In this case, Giannis knocked down a tough step-back jumper, showing off his clutch ability for the first time. Making your first buzzer beater is a huge confidence boost and could be the very reason Giannis is now unfazed by big moments at this stage in his career.
Giannis pounded his dribble with his back to the basket from the baseline to straight away against Lance Thomas and used his long strides to step back around the free throw line and hit a jumper that pushed the Milwaukee Bucks to a 105-104 lead.
Top 10 memories of Giannis Antetokounmpo No. 7: Giannis Leaps Over Tim Hardaway Jr.
Another moment that no doubt haunts New York Knicks fans. In my eyes, this play embodies the Greek Freak nickname. The world-famous alley-oop dunk over Tim Hardaway Jr. in Madison Square Garden is one of the best dunks of the last decade and will certainly be a play that never gets old. Khris Middleton stole a cross court pass and took off down the floor, Giannis running alongside him and Hardaway Jr. unfortunately caught in between.
Also unforgettable is hearing Gus Johnson’s call, his genuine reaction just adds another layer to the great play, as does the face of John McEnroe. Other than the dunk contest there aren’t many times where you see a player leap completely over someone, so the fact that he does this in a game is a testament to his athleticism.
Top 10 memories from Giannis Antetokounmpo No.6: Winning 2021 All-Star Game MVP
In 2021, Giannis received All-Star MVP honors. Each All-Star MVP is unique in their own way, but Giannis gave fans a show like no other, an All-Star record even. The Greek Freak put on an absolute clinic, scoring 35 points, while shooting a perfect 16-of-16 from the field. I don’t think I have ever seen someone walk on a basketball court of some sort and not miss one shot, this was absolutely mind-blowing.
Giannis put on an absolute show from banking in a three, to catching an alley-oop from Chris Paul, to a barrage of two handed dunks and another banked in three that started with “NO, NO, NO” to “YES, YES, YES” from Kenny Smith who wanted Giannis to remain perfect from the field.
Top 10 memories from Giannis Antetokounmpo No. 5: Zoom Freak 1 Debut
In 2019, Giannis debuted and released his signature shoe that he created with Nike. Only a select few are able to achieve this feat, so this was special for him. After all, Giannis grew up having to share shoes with Thanasis, due to them not being wealthy growing up, so having people around the world wear your signature shoes is undoubtedly a full circle moment.
Giannis now has four editions of his signature shoe out and always has nods to his humble beginnings tied into them.
Top 10 memories of Giannis Antetokounmpo No.4: Signing the Supermax Extension in 2020
The day that Giannis agreed to a supermax extension to stay with the Milwaukee Bucks long-term, was a long-awaited day that Bucks fans were waiting for. Different analysts and journalists floated many rumors around for months that Giannis would leave the organization that drafted him once his contract expired. Giannis ended all speculation by signing a five year extension worth $228 million in December of 2020. I’m not speaking for just myself when I say that Bucks fans valued Giannis’ loyalty and willingness to keep battling for a championship in Milwaukee after falling short in two straight seasons with the league’s best record.
Top 10 memories from Giannis Antetokounmpo No. 3: Giannis’ First MVP
Giannis won the 2018-19 Most Valuable Player award after being challenged by Kobe Bryant on Twitter to win the award. Antetokounmpo averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists, while leading the Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the league at 60-22. This was an important MVP, as it gave Bucks fans something to celebrate for the first time in a while and gave Giannis recognition for all his hard work. It also was right after the passing of his father, the person who pushed him to get to the position that he is in.
At an MVP celebration event in Milwaukee, with tears in his eyes, Giannis insisted that Bucks fans do not call him MVP until he wins it again the next season.
Top 10 memories from Giannis Antetokounmpo No. 2: Giannis’ Second MVP
Giannis would indeed end up speaking another MVP into existence, as he ended up winning in the 2019-20 season as well. Winning another one showed the world that Giannis was here to stay and that the first one wasn’t a fluke. He averaged 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists while leading the Bucks to a league best 56-17 record. Giannis then told fans on national television to not call him a two-time MVP until he’s a champion.
Top 10 memories from Giannis Antetokounmpo No.1 : Winning the 2021 NBA Finals
Well here we have it. Undoubtedly the number one Giannis Antetokounmpo moment for every Milwaukee Bucks fan, winning the 2021 NBA championship over the Phoenix Suns, personifying the “Bucks in Six” mantra.
In 2021, The two-time MVP finally gave into the thrill of the moment, as he brought the city of Milwaukee their first championship since 1971 and added a Finals MVP to his awards collection.
Antetokounmpo had an exceptional NBA Finals debut, averaging 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5 assists, all just two weeks after hyperextending his knee in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks.
Giannis gave us countless memorable highlights that will forever be nostalgic for Bucks fans. The alley-oop rejection on Deandre Ayton in Game 4 and the rim-rocking, and-one alley-oop finish to seal the Game 6 victory are two perfect examples of Giannis’ determination to be great. He even had the best closeout game of any superstar in the NBA Finals, scoring 50 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, while recording 5 blocks in the series clinching game 6.
28 years old is still very young, and Giannis who is in his prime will bring many more championships to Milwaukee as he continues his story of greatness.
Happy Birthday Giannis Antetokounmpo.
We wish Giannis the best in another year of fantastic displays of basketball greatness.