Giannis Antetokounmpo in Manila. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
When Giannis Antetokoumpo won the 2017 NBA Most Improved Player award, 2014 Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant congratulated the Milwaukee Bucks star and predicted an even bigger future for the 22-year-old.
“It’s guaranteed that he will be an MVP,” said Durant in a video on YouTube.
And on Sunday, Antetokoumpo thanked Durant for the kind gesture.
“That was a great compliment,” said Antetokoumpo during his media availability at Fairmont Makati for “Greek Freak Invades Manila” event with King Bally Entertainment Group.
Antetokoumpo, though, knows he still has a lot of work to do if he ever hopes to win the most prized individual award in the NBA.
“I just try to listen and be like ‘yeah but I still got to work’ because if I worked hard enough everybody can say ‘you can be great, you can do great things,’ but most of the time when people say that it puts pressure on you,” said Antetokounmpo.
The 22-year-old finished the 2016-2017 season with 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.9 blocks, and 1.6 steals and was just the fifth player in league history to lead his team in all five categories.
He was also the first player in the NBA to finish in the top 20 of the five statistical categories.
Antetokounmpo said he’s received compliments from other NBA players including LeBron James and Stephen Curry, but getting better starts with putting in the work and not just mere praise.
“I got compliments from LeBron, KD, and Steph when I was a rookie and nobody knew me back then,” said Antetokounmpo. “But if you put in work every year, and get better every year you will achieve it.”
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