Giannis has full respect for LeBron
This is honestly a great statement. Love to see it.
Crazy that he realizes it at year 13… then acknowledges LeBron is at year 23. Bro that’s insane
Not just that, but had a stretch from 2011 to 2020 where he went to every single final except 2019, and also had an Olympic appearance in there. The guy is just an unreal athlete. His durability is unparalleled in sports history.
I literally grew up and had kids in the middle of his career. This is not normal and we probably won’t see it again in our lifetimes.
Dude there was a movie about him before he even entered the nba
And he lived up to it. Nuts.
He must’ve surpassed the movie. You can go All Star, play at least a decade, and HoF. But no one was saying Top 5 all time
I’ve been actively following the NBA since I was 10 and I have a soon to be 14 year old daughter. Lebron was the runner-up for mvp the season I started watching.
Giannis came into the league the season after Lebron won his last mvp, Jokic came into the league the same season lebron beat the 73-9 warriors, Luka and Shai came into the league during lebron’s first first lakers season, and Wemby came into the league the season after Lebron broke the scoring record. All these guys except Wemby have had long and accolade riddled careers and are still playing alongside lebron.
Bonkers man absolutely bonkers can’t believe I’m using that word but it seems appropriate
Giannis is such a great dude! Hope he can get into another winning situation soon. Love his energy
I’m a huge Giannis fan just for how he carries himself. I’m also a fan of his game, and how he can be goofy/fun on the court too, but his maturity off the court is what really made me respect him. Not super common tbh
He’s just so down to earth even as a multi millionaire superstar. I’m sure it has a lot to do with his humble beginnings but I’ve always rooted for him. He’s the kind of guy you want to see succeed because of all that he’s been through. It’s because of the hardships that he’s experienced that he doesn’t take things for granted and pays respect to where it’s due.
I hope he stays in Milwaukee and they pull it back there is just something awesome and kind of unique about superstars who only play for one team.
If Giannis were American, he’d 100% be the face of the league. He’s consistently a great interview and he’s a monster on the court.
Shame about the xenophobia, but here we are.
Honestly if he was just a white Euro he would probably be the league face as much as I hate to say it. Either that or American.
If he were white he wouldn’t be in the nba lol. He’d be a white guy
What? Jokic and Luka are both in NBA as white. If he was white passing he likely would have had nowhere near the issues he did in Greece.
Giannis is a freak athlete. They are not
they both are, but sneaky athletic instead of just obviously athletic like Giannis
What does this have to do with whether he’s white or not lol. If he was white wouldn’t he just be a white freak athlete instead?
I don’t think it’s xenophobia. Greek fans are going to be more likely to support Giannis, Serbian fans are majority Jokic fans, Shai has a ton of Canadian fans, etc. It’s normal to support athletes that grew up in the same country or state as you.
LeRespect
Respectetokounmpo
Common Giannis w
Yep fantastic
He gave LeBron a farewell tour level salute
He respect Lebron so much Lebron was the only NBA player invited to his wedding who wasn’t a teammate.
Not even all his teammates got the invite.
That means a lot … wow!
Giannis has become a much better speaker as the years have gone by and I always love hearing his thoughts. He probably has a career in sports somewhere on tv once he retires if he wants to
That man said he gonna disappear like Duncan when he’s done
He also said that he could be a coach.
I could see that too
Yeah, I don’t think a lot of people realize just how cerebral he is in general. I definitely wouldn’t be surprised if he’s one of the smartest guys in the league.
Yea too many people fell for the “run and dunk man” memes. IDC what people say, Giannis is at minimum top 3 player in the league and the best all-rounder and it’s not because he only runs and dunks hard.
Yeah, if he was simply just athletic he wouldn’t have accomplished half of the stuff that he has. He probably has the best handle for a natural power forward ever, really underrated passer and he has the ability to raise the level of a defense all by himself when locked in. He also plays hard every single time out which is an underrated skill.
They said all Shaq did was push people and dunk too. If strength and/or athleticism were all it took to dominate the league then Deandre Jordan would be the GOAT.
That’s how you know you’ve got a truly great player, people will try to marginalize their skills and accomplishments at every turn.
But he is tho
You rarely see HOF level talent succeed in coaching or front office in any sport.
It’s because coaching and GM work are different skill sets than being a good player.
And also it’s damn hard for people blessed with superhuman abilities to tell mere mortals how to play. He can’t just tell someone to catch up to Iguodala in 5 strides and block the shot 12 feet off the ground.
Jerry west was truly 1 of 1
In a second language!
Honestly, I could see that. His family moved back overseas so I wouldn’t be surprised to hear him joining with them once he retires.
His speech regarding failure was also on point. We’re so results-oriented that we often forget about the process in achieving success.
He was always a good speaker in his own language , you need to ad ‘English’ to your comment he is not a toddler lol
I think it’s pretty obvious I’m not speaking on his native tongue
Had no idea they hadnt played one another in that long. Really well said.
yea, it was wild to realize they didn’t play each other for 4 years
It’s because Lebron has refused to play in Milwaukee the last several years lol
Ducking
After that all u can think of is “how’d you get that jersey”??
Agreed, but it did luckily lead to a sick ass answer
Right
It was one of those really stupid questions that nearly derailed the interview. Like how else did you think he got that jersey, he clearly asked for it. What do you think he fucking stole that shit? Ridiculous.
Ultimate class.
He speaks beautifully and is always thoughtful. Love him
Bravo, man
Very well said. Class act Giannis
crazy that they haven’t played each other for that long to be honest.
LeBron had more pressure and expectations than any athlete coming out of high school, and he somehow blew those expectations out of the water. To still be playing at a high level 23 years into a career where he’s played more basketball than anyone ever is ridiculous. I turned 30 this year and I can’t stay up past 11:30pm without feeling like a bag of dicks the next day
the last time they played against each other was 2022?! gawd damn
Beautiful statement from Giannis. It’s also a testament to how far he’s come as a player going into his 13th season.
I never realized it’s been that long since they played against each other.
this dude didn’t start learning English until age 19 by the way. perfect word choice, eloquent speaker for real
Giannis is so respectful. I love it.
LeFan
Game recognize game
A classy statement from Giannis here. Nice to see players giving respect where it’s due and acknowledging greatness
That’s why Giannis is such a respectable player.
No lies were told
Giannis has some incredibly eloquent moments. He’s so concise and direct with what he says
Giannis has had an amazing career and is 13 years in now. Another decade of high level play to match LeBron’s 23 years is ridiculous to think about.
Giannis is a classy player much respect to him well eloquently spoken
I know his weird agent double speak is annoying, but man I do I love when he gives praise
ID on that jacket?
Leather
Giannis to Lakers confirmed
Beautifully said wow
Giannis is awesome, man.
It’s reached a point truly where if he’s not at least in your top 2 all time, I kinda just think you’re a hater.
Love Giannis.
Class act
Off the court Giannis is my fav player.
God damn this is the most charming thing ever. Love the respect and the Freak being so self aware
Love and respect
Come to the Lakers, and I bet LeBron signs a smaller deal for a ring. Then, you can go against him in practice every day.
And we should all have full respect for Giannis
Has all youd want in a face of the league except the general consensus title
I love the way Giannis speaks or rather, the way he thinks and articulates himself. Great responses from him.
So well said.
Big respect 🫡
Damn well said
That’s a funny post title because what else would you expect from Giannis lol
‘I told him the future is now old man’
13 years already. Fuck me.
Not in a bad way, but Giannis has always been a fullthroated LeBron stan lol
COME TO PAPA. HE GONE!
Why does Giannis sound like McGregor?
Honestly crazy to think that LBJ has been doing this for so long he’s already in the pantheon of legends while still being an active player. If players at Giannis’ age can respect this, it must be insane for the younger crew who grew up in the era where life’s only certainties were death, taxes, and LeBron in the finals
Is he forcing bron to retire
This is cool. Love this
Dam hes really got a lot of love for LeBron
Giannis and Luka…. Sounds like he might try to go to the Lakers.
Lebron banged my favorite escort in Miami man
Hearing Giannis talk makes me realize, sane people talked like this in the 90’s about the greats before them. We have too many crazy folks these days talking crazy about great players.
Come to Houston!! You can play next to KD🙏🏼
The anti-Dillon Brooks
However corny he can be at times, I’ll always love Giannis.
I feel like LeBron is gonna retire this year
Me too. Hes clearly still got it but those late game collapses after the flash probably aint built to go another full season
LeBron can’t talk about someone without making it about him. Such class from Giannis.
Yeah great class from you immediately shitting on LeBron for no reason.
Well spoken and rehearsed. Good shit.
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lol this bot broke and is spamming irrelevant comments
Wow dude, you’re wildly obsessed. Go touch some grass my guy.
Are you in love with Jordan?
Imagine Giannis in a big market, like he’s always said his dream for euros to be. Would be good for the league tbh
lol you took that literally? It was a sarcastic comment my man
It used to be, you want to take down your rivals or top talent/competition in sports. Not collude with them LOL. That would be like Bird/Magic or MJ/Shaq joining forces LOL
SMH why don’t we go back to breathing leaded gasoline fumes
Why are you so obsessed with Jordan
Yeah that would be weird like MJ and Barkley playing golf together during the playoffs in the 90s or Zeke and Magic kissing before a finals game in the 80s
It’s hard to have a rivalry when you barely face each other. Like Steph and LeBron were clear rivals facing each other finals after finals and being compared to each other. With so much parity now, it’s hard to form a rivalry, OKC vs Spurs rivalry could happen if Wemby stays healthy.
Wilt teamed up with West and Baylor in the 70s. So did Drexler and Olajuwon in the 90s. Rodman literally teamed up with his biggest rivals by joining the Bulls.
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If you don’t respect Lebron and what he has done for basketball you just don’t respect the sport.
Kick rocks jack!
LOL. I’m sorry what did he do? Did bring NBA out of the ashes or what? The NBA was immensely popular when Lebron was a toddler or not even born yet. . Nice try though
I understand if you don’t like him personally, but to discredit his basketball accomplishments is just flat out wrong.
I use to hate Lebron then I grew to respect his game over time. The man was literally elite for 2 decades. That’s insane!
I dont know him personally. so I can’t dislike him. . But again most of his “accomplishments” are based off Superteaming it up with multiple all stars all over the league since 2010. (How many titles does he win if he doesn’t do this?) So its not “wrong”. Facts are facts. Heck Lebron is the one that pretty much started superteam crap in the modern era for a while. Thats when Durant went and did the same nonsense
This is sports everyone has players they dislike like cmon man.
I hated Tom Brady. Why? Because he was GREAT! When you the best it comes with hate. Still I respected him as a player.
When you say stuff like Lebron didn’t do anything for basketball you just lose all credibility.
Its about respect. I dont respect Collusion, and taking the easy way out at the peak of your career and not just tough it out. If I was better at everyone at a sport by a good distance (like Lebron was in 2009), I wouldn’t be jumping to play with my superstar buddies at my peak in a conference that is already WEAK like the east was. I would have toughed it out. But thats me. Whatever. I just don’t respect people with all the talent and gifts in the world, to need an even easier path in life. Why should that be “respected?” exactly
d-tier ragebait 😂 accept that Lebron is the goat, take it from a diehard bulls fan who saw the light
He’s actually that stupid I’m afraid https://np.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1q9aerh/comment/nytwtnt/
with only 4 titles and a losing Finals Record despite 15 years collusion/superteams and a 20 plus year career? Yea real GOAT material there LOL
What a disgusting comment history.
this dude has some stuff going on
Oh Jesus lmao, not really surprising tho
I stopped going into people’s profiles, some of these profiles are unhinged.
So lets respect failure, and then taking the easy way out to get chips on all star teams and the path of least resistance . Got it.
Professional hater how much you make a year talking shit on reddit? Legitimately sad.
So you dont respect Jordan either? Only able to win 6 times out of his career. He failed more often than he succeeded. How about Kobe? 5 out of 21 years. Total failure on his part. Bill Russell must be one of the handful of guys you actually like
Should instead respect failure and then taking the easy way out by having your team draft one of the best players ever :^)
The fact no other player in NBA history has haters this dedicated shows why he’s LeGoat
Lakers fans is he one of the crazy ones ?
Hmm whose statement should I give more weight too? Giannis or some loser bum ass Redditor? really quite the tough decision……
Probably mine since I have way more life experience than Giannis and been watching ball longer than that dude has been alive LOL
Damn all that experience and still just the worst ball knowledge, almost impressively ignorant lol
Where were you J6?
I dont support Trump LOL