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2019 Top 10 NBA Players, #2 Giannis Antetokounmpo

If you’re looking for the best NBA Players' biographies for the top current players, you should definitely read our Giannis Antetokounmpo Biography.

Known as “the Greek Freak”, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a professional power forward / small forward for the Milwaukee Bucks.

He’s famous for his outstanding combination of speed, size, and accurate ball-handling skills.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Biography: Professional Career

Here’s a quick sum up of the professional career of one of the players with the brightest futures in the NBA…

Let's start with his records:

  • NBA Most Valuable Player (2019)
  • 3× NBA All-Star (2017–2019)
  • All-NBA First Team (2019)
  • 2× All-NBA Second Team (2017, 2018)
  • NBA All-Defensive First Team (2019)
  • NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2017)
  • NBA Most Improved Player (2017)
  • NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2014)
  • Euroscar European Player of the Year (2018)

Greek League, Europe

Everything started for Antetokounmpo in 2011, when he was recruited for the senior men's team of Filathlitikos, a semi-pro franchise from Greece’s third division basketball league.

The following year he was already playing at the second division, and the next, when he turned 18, he was already on his way to his first professional experience with the CAI Zaragoza, a professional Spaniard basketball team.

As his contract with the team from Spain began with the 2013-14 season, he decided to remain in Greece.

He was impressive during that last season in Greece, and instead of flying to Spain to start a career with his new club, he decided to make himself available for the 2013 NBA Draft.

Antetokounmpo ended up being a first-round pick, getting selected as the fifteenth overall pick by the Bucks, signing a rookie contract the very same year.

Milwaukee Bucks

He debuted with the Bucks when he was still 18, making him one of the youngest NBA players ever.

During his rookie year, he managed to score double figures 23 times, and also finished with 61 blocks, leading all NBA rookies.

The next year, the Bucks improved his contract, making the player feel at home in Milwaukee.

That year he recorded a then career-high 27 points and 15 rebounds in a loss to the Houston Rockets.

He also obtained the “player of the week” honors for the first time.

The following year he was called to compete in the 2015 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, and missed just a single match during the entire 2014-15 season.

2015-16 Season

On February 2016, Antetokounmpo scored triple-double digits for the first time in his career in what was a 108-101 victory over the Lakers. He finished that game with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. By March that year, he had already recorded four triple-doubles in 11 games.

2016-17 Season

After such great display of pure talent, the Bucks decided to offer their star young player an even juicer contract, offering him a millionaire, four-year extension. That year he also became part of the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, making him the first Greek NBA-All Star ever.

He also became the first player in the history of the NBA to end a regular season in the top 20 in each of the top 5 categories, including points, rebounds, assists, steal, and blocks. He finished the season with an outstanding award under his belt: the NBA’s Most Improved Player.

2017-18 Season

Antetokounmpo started this season with the right foot, scoring a career-high 44 points during an early game against the Trail Blazers, in a 113-110 win for the Bucks.

He did so well during his season start, that he finished with 147 points scored in his first four games, a franchise record, and a point higher than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 146 in 1970. By his fifth game, he had the best start by any player in the history of the NBA.

By his 27th game, he was making history again as he had scored at least twenty points and five rebounds, which marked the longest such streak since Shaquille O’Neal did it during the 2000-01 season.

2018-19: His MVP Season

The best was about to come for Antetokounmpo!

He started the season helping the Bucks to a 4-0 record, a first for the franchise since the 2001-02 season. He scored more than 25 points during those games, becoming just the second player since Wilt Chamberlain to accomplish the feat.

On March 17, he scored a career-high 52 points in a 130-125 loss to the Sixers. His team soon got revenge, as the next month his 43 points helped Milwaukee to beat Philly 128-122, allowing the Bucks to clinch the number one seed in the Eastern Conference.

Thanks to his help, Milwaukee was also able to advance to the second round of the postseason, a first since 2001. They accomplished this after sweeping the Pistons in four straight games.

The Bucks managed to beat the Celtics 4-1, getting a ticket to the Eastern Conference semifinals, where they finally fell to the Raptors 4-2.

After an impressive season, Antetokounmpo obtained the Most Valuable Player honors, becoming just the second Bucks player after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to get such a prestigious award.

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Best of luck!

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