After round one of fan All-Star voting, Giannis Antetokounmpo once again leads the Eastern Conference in ballots cast. When the dust settled last season, he led the league in fan votes by a tally of over 800,000. Despite playing for the small-market Milwaukee Bucks, he is an NBA icon.
More than that, the Greek-born superstar is a global representative of the sport. Giannis doesn't need a big market like New York or Los Angeles to appeal to basketball fans worldwide. All he needs is himself.
Giannis doesn't need the big city to shine. He has the whole world already
Big-market allure has always been one of the reasons people have tried to get Giannis out of Milwaukee. Certainly, the NBA would love to plant him in one of its biggest cities and watch the revenue stream in.
For most players, geography and market size directly contribute to popularity, legacy, and overall status. In this year's first batch of All-Star votes, it's no surprise that the Lakers' Luka Doncic currently sits atop the Western Conference. In the East, New York's Jalen Brunson ranks third. That puts him roughly 150,000 votes behind Giannis, who has 1,192,296.
But the rise of international players in the NBA has changed the equation. All-Star voting is open to fans all over the world. Denver's Nikola Jokic (Serbia) and Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada) are two names that spring instantly to mind. Doncic hails from Slovenia. Yet when it comes to global representation, Giannis leads the pack.
And he is doing so without the benefit of being headlined in the MVP race, as Jokic and Alexander have over the past two-plus seasons. Raised in Greece by parents of Nigerian descent, Giannis spans cultures and countries. His influence bridges the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific. In Milwaukee, the only NBA franchise he's known, he is a living legend.
Giannis is not just an NBA superstar. He represents his homeland in the Olympics and in international tournaments. Last summer, he captained Greece to bronze in EuroBasket. Before this season, he moved his family to Athens. He honors his Nigerian roots and immigrant upbringing, an integral element of his public identity. He is a humble champion and relentless competitor. He is the definition of universal appeal.
Make no mistake, at least in the NBA, taking his career to New York would elevate Giannis even further. He would play in more national TV games, attract even more media coverage, and affix his name to one of the league's most storied franchises. But to be a global ambassador of the game, he does not need the glitz and glam of the big city. If All-Star voting is any indication, Giannis already has a fanbase that transcends international boundaries.