Many NBA fans remember Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2021 NBA championship run. They eliminated the Phoenix Suns in 6 games to bring a coveted NBA title to the city of Milwaukee. By winning a championship at a considerably young age, the Greek Freak’s value and all-time greatness have been acknowledged.
Giannis recently compared himself to the San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan and claimed that he wanted to be just like Tim. New basketball fans will be unaware of who Duncan was and what he accomplished in his career. It is important to understand why Antetokounmpo made this statement. After all, there are several NBA greats like Michael Jordan and Magic Johson who are widely considered better.
Thus, we need to look into what the Greek Freak said and the context of his words.
Giannis Antetokounmpo wants his retirement life to be like that of Tim Duncan
The 2021 NBA Finals MVP is still a long way from retiring. He is only 27 years old and has just hit his prime. Based on his build and ability, it would be easy to claim he still has a decade of basketball left in the NBA. However, he was asked about his plans for retirement and how that would change his life. The Greek Freak used this opportunity to bring up Tim Duncan.
The Big Fundamental AKA Big Timmy was quite a unique and impactful player in his time. He helped the San Antonio Spurs become a contending championship dynasty in the 2000s and 2010s. Moreover, just like Giannis, he remained loyal to his team and never jumped ship.
Antetokounmpo addressed why he wanted to be like Duncan from quite a cynical perspective, ” I want to be like Tim Duncan. Where the hell is Tim Duncan? Where is Tim? I don’t know where Tim is, I wanna be like him. I wanna play the game and then you forget about me. You don’t talk about me, leave me alone.” It is interesting how Giannis turned this question into an existential discussion. NBA players are in the limelight when they play and are soon forgotten after retirement. Not everyone is remembered across time like Michael Jordan. Thus, Antetokounmpo took the opportunity to show the Spurs legend some love.