The Milwaukee Bucks reached the NBA Finals for the first time in Antetokounmpo’s career, and at just 26 years old, Antetokounmpo could solidify his hall of fame status.
One could say that even without an NBA championship, Antetokounmpo already has a hall of fame career. His accolades include 5x All-Star, 5x All-NBA, 4x All-NBA defense, 2x MVP, defensive player of the year, most improved player, All-Star MVP, and All-Rookie 2nd team.
Antetokounmpo wants to be one of the best to ever play the game though, and to even be considered as such, he needs to add at least one NBA championship to his already impressive resume. His career has been eerily similar to one of the best, if not the best players of all time, in LeBron James. While James may have been a star since he first set foot onto an NBA floor, he didn’t win his first championship until he was 27. Up until that point, many people knew James had all-time talent but would never put him in the conversation of greatest of all time due to the lack of rings. He had the MVPs, All-NBA selections, All-Star selections and MVPs, even rookie of the year, but many were ready to write him off as the greatest who never was. Since then, James has won 3 more championships. This could be that same turning point in Antetokounmpo’s career where he gets that first championship and begins his official road to becoming the greatest of all time.
Antetokounmpo was once seen as a player that teams were afraid to draft, and now those same teams look back and wonder what they missed during the draft process. Antetokounmpo wasn’t a big-name prospect, nor did he play in the NCAA or even the Euroleague. It’s not hard to understand why all of the 14 teams ahead of the Bucks decided to pass on him, he was seen as a project. The Bucks went all-in on their project, and it has panned out better for them than the 14 teams ahead of them. Antetokounmpo ranks in the top 2 in points, rebounds, and assists in his draft class and is the first to reach an NBA Finals.
If Antetokounmpo were to lead the Bucks to a championship, it’ll be the 2nd in franchise history, something that only the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar accomplished. It would also be big for the Antetokounmpo family as they would have a total of 3 NBA champions in just the span of 2 years.
Will Antetokounmpo prove to us that he truly is one of the best players ever, or will he fall short of his dreams once again?
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