Giannis Antetokounmpo is the first European cover star of NBA 2K. During his presentation SPOX spoke with him about his MVP goals, the new Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer – and about his beard.
He also commented on the many up-and-coming stars from Europe – and on reporter Skip Bayless.
SPOX: Mr. Antetokounmpo, on Instagram last week you saw in your story how you celebrate your beard growth. Do you want to become “The Beard 2.0”?
Giannis Antetokounmpo: That is definitely a goal. As you can see: LeBron James has a beard, James Harden has a beard and both were MVP candidates. That’s why I’m trying to get my beard to grow. And as you can see, he’s coming. [laughs]
SPOX: Kobe Bryant integrated you into the MVP discussion last season. How much does it mean to you as a player that such a legend sees so much in you?
Antetokounmpo: It means a lot to me when a player like Kobe Bryant, who is one of the best who has ever played, says something like that. Since the start of my career it has been my goal to become an MVP. His testimony shows that he believes in me and that helps you, of course, that you believe more in yourself and your abilities.
SPOX: Do you see yourself on the right path to MVP?
Anetokounmpo: I don’t want to be a selfish player. My goal is to become better myself and be the best player in the team – but also to make my teammates better. This is the only way to win the MVP title: by winning and winning many games as part of your team. I’m sure we’ll just do it a lot better next year.
SPOX: Recently Skip Bayless wrote on Twitter that, with LeBron James now playing for the Lakers, Joel Embiid is the best player at the Eastern Conference. That’s all the motivation you need, isn’t it?
Anetokounmpo: Absolutely. I was still training this morning, then I went to my mobile and read the tweet of Skip Bayless. If he thinks so, that’s okay. It is his opinion and I do not want to say that he is not right – but I politely disagree with him. My goal is simply to become better and such news doesn’t scare me off, but motivates me enormously.
SPOX: How do you generally deal with such opinions from the press or social networks?
Anetokounmpo: You must not let yourself be dragged down by such small things and the media. I will continue to train hard to improve. I want to be the best player in the Eastern Conference – not just there, but around the world. You must not allow yourself to be dissuaded from the goals you want to achieve.
SPOX: Becoming the best player in the world requires a good head coach. Now Mike Budenholzer is with the Milwaukee Bucks. Have you spoken to him yet?
Anetokounmpo: We’ve already spent a lot of time in Milwaukee, went through our schedule and generally how we want to act as a team next season. But he also visited me in Greece just a few days ago and spent a lot of time here to train with me.
SPOX: So how was it?
Anetokounmpo: He provided screens for me, passed me the ball, was just part of the program. The relationship with the head coach is important to me. At the end of the day, he’s part of what you’re fighting for on the field.
SPOX: Can your team take another step forward with him?
Anetokounmpo: Absolutely. I think we have one of the best head coaches in the NBA who will help us in our development.
SPOX: Let’s get to the bottom of our meeting. You are the first European cover star of NBA 2K. How does it feel?
Anetokounmpo: It’s just a great feeling to be the one who paves the way for other European players. When we grew up with NBA 2K, you actually only saw and saw American players. You’ve had generally little flashy Europeans in the basketball scene.
SPOX: In a way, is it a confirmation that Europeans are getting more and more recognition in the NBA?
Anetokounmpo: We are all the same and can succeed. Luka Doncic has shown that he is one of the best players in Europe and he was picked very high in the NBA draft. I’m on the cover of NBA 2K now. I’m the first international player to have his own signature shoe with Nike. We’ll show them you can do it. Believe in yourself and your dreams and work hard every day.