How The NBA Media Tried to Destroy Giannis Antetokounmpo

The NBA world couldn't have been more wrong about Giannis and his playoff history. They said he choked against the Raptors, ignoring any and all context just to bring the man down. In this video we look over Giannis's playoff appearances, and put into perspective how wrong the NBA media was.

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
01:44 - 2015 Playoffs vs Bulls
02:33 - 2017 Playoffs vs Raptors
03:55 - 2018 Playoffs vs Celtics
06:03 - 2019 Playoff Run
08:09 - 2020 Playoffs vs Heat
09:16 - 2021 Playoff Run
11:57 - 2021 Finals vs Suns
13:01 - Putting it into perspective
13:29 - Game 6 of the Finals
14:12 - Conclusion

[rileyhawkins]

Definitely one of the most satisfying sports moments ever to me, seeing Giannis win on a 50 point game, silencing all the critics, doubters, media, players, all the people hating and undervaluing him, it felt so damn good to see such a great guy win

[ofSeptember]

What amazes(d) me about Giannis is how he performed after that knee injury. I mean, that injury was really severe. His knee bent backwards and yet he returned for the finals and DOMINATED! That was crazy.

[craighenry]

I am a lifelong Bucks fan (50 years) and as such, I can shed a bit of light on all this vitriol being spewed at Giannis. Reason one: he upsets the apple cart by being loyal and appreciating building a championship team and not buying one as almost every other champion since 2010 has. Reason two: the NBA hates him and never wanted him to stay in Milwaukee, because it is a small market. More than any other major pro sport, the NBA likes it’s superstars in bigger markets to maximize marketing options and rake in more money. The NBA has been this way since David Stern took over as commissioner and has only gotten worse under Adam Silver ( The Bucks were fined for tampering when they announced, while he was still under contract that they intended to sign him to a Supermax extension. How exactly is that tampering. He is their own player and is under contract). Reason three: Sports writers and commentators don’t like to be wrong on their predictions and will not admit they are wrong until you force them to. These vindictive morons will not admit they are wrong until the Bucks win one or two more championships.

[deaddropholiday]

Had to laugh at Bayless who graciously conceded that despite having no "killier will" and not being "That Guy" (whomever, or whatever that is!?!?), Giannis' playoff series performances were purely the result of "hustle" as opposed to talent, intelligence, physical superiority. Because as we know guys like Pat Bev and Draymond are always racking up 50pt games with double-digit rebounds in the playoffs!

[KevaLeva]

To call Giannis overrated or a choker is offensive when you just consider where he came from and his transformation over the last 8 years. Just on a basic human level, not even considering his abilities and stats mentioned in the video, prior to getting drafted he was selling DVDs on the street and sharing shoes with his brothers so he could survive and play. Name me one "Superstar" player in the league who had it tougher than that. A lot were playing on pampered AAU teams and overly-funded basketball programs. He came into the league as a lonely, unproven, wide-eyed, scrawny 18 year kid. His determination and will are unmatched by anyone in the league. When you look at what he came from and look at everything he has accomplished, even if you took away his NBA title, what he has done in 8 years is amazing. I just don't get how anyone could hate on him. How can you hate on that? It just really bothers and offends me when I hear that crap. People don't think he has guts or determination. Really? Last I checked he came from practically nothing, to a name they can't get out of their mouth. Look in the mirror, losers.

[jonLowryTrade]

2021 Giannis. 2019 Kawhi. 2011 Dirk. Some of the greatest runs I can remember

[OG-]

Giannis. The kid who came from nothing and became everything. Much respect to the Greek Freak.

[Panazoniac]

51 yr old wife and mother here. Never cared about NBA. Giannis changed that. I see what you see... a champion. There is NO one like him in the NBA. He does it on his terms. Fantastic analysis. Reminder to the world.... The Bucks played the ENTIRE playoffs without their injured starting shooting guard. They were every bit as injured as every other team out there. No one was immune.

[marcasieber]

Upgrading from Eric Bledsoe to Jrue Holiday was huge. Even though Holiday wasn't at his best offensively during the playoffs, he still played outstanding defense and never lost his confidence. Bledsoe just disappeared.

[ballermilw]

The James Harden insult is the funniest to me. He's 6'5" which makes him taller than 99% of men on the planet. I could see if Chris Paul or Allen Iverson said it, but not Harden.

[mrbucky]

People ignore the context of the Raptors series way too much and I like how this vid explains it. The raptors were also the absolute WORST possible matchup for Giannis on defense. They had Kawhi guarding him with Siakam, Serge Ibaka, and former DPOY Marc Gasol focusing all their attention on helping in the paint. If the rest of the Bucks didn't forget how to shoot, those playoffs would have looked very different.

[lennardjoseph]

From that horrific knee injury to that block on Deandre Ayton..."from one extreme to the next." One of the things that frustrates me about the criticism of Giannis is that people forget that he did not grow up playing basketball from an early age like most of his NBA peers. His development of his own game comes on a very steep curve.

[gidster]

The story of Giannis is one of the most inspirational in all of sports history

[Bitofeverything_]

I live in Milwaukee and wasn’t really a big NBA fan. I would go to some games in the past when Lebron, Dwayne Wade, Curry, or Rose came to the stadium. Aside from that I wouldn’t really pay much attention. In his rookie year I saw him at the mall with my brother. My bro asked me if I knew who that was. I had no idea, but he was absolutely nice taking pictures with the fans at the mall. Since 2016 I’ve gone to many games now cause of him. The energy and passion he brings the city is unique. I don’t understand how NBA fans or other team fans dislike him, a talented but hardworking individual. The best thing is that he’s a genuine person. Hats off to the Greek Freak!

[karu]

It was so weird to see, this man is exactly who the face of the NBA should be. He's got everything, the skill, the athleticism, the killer mindset, the work ethic, the leadership, the loyalty, the story. It was so weird the media wasn't singing praises to his name. When they won the championship, it was so well deserved.

[Switch_Hitta_Beats]

I can’t give Giannis enough respect. He dropped 50 when it was most needed and carried the bucks through the playoffs and finals after a horrific looking leg injury. But the thing that I respect him most for is the fact that he didn’t go and make a super team somewhere with a big market team. He had the loyalty to stay with the Bucks and it paid off. The championship means a lot more when you do it like that rather than going to LA to get the easy finals win. I’m no Bucks fan but I’ve definitely become a Giannis fan.

[Dented_Battle_Armor]

The utter disrespect on my guy Giannis is unacceptable. Dude just willed the team that drafted him and with no other megastars to a title. Dude is real special

[jeffdaman]

Everyone tried to destroy Giannis. It wasn’t just the media. It was also the fans. They clowned Giannis about his lack of a shot, his free throw shooting, his air balls, and all the times he was posterized on dunks.

Giannis took all that in stride and still keep shooting and defending. He would rather air ball then look scared like Ben Simmons. He would rather get posterized than run away from defense like 98% of the league does.

[SpazzMatticusTheGreat]

I have no idea how anyone could hate on Giannis. Dude is a hard worker, humble, and supremely dedicated to his craft. I remember watching my Hawks play them, and I remember the standing ovation when he was able to walk off the court in game 4. He is the kind of guy that garners universal respect from real basketball fans, and the media disrespect is outrageous.

[petermadash]

Great analysis. Thank you for bringing some much-needed context to the Giannis story. NBA fans are a fickle bunch and swallow everything from the media without contextualizing things right. As a diehard Giannis guy I appreciate this and will be back for more.