After Tough Love From Shaquille O?Neal and Charles Barkley, Giannis Antetokounmpo Gets a Reality Check From an Ex-NBA Star: ?You Moved Backwards This Year?

In a surprising turn of events, the Milwaukee Bucks were knocked out of the championship race by the Miami Heat. The top-seeded Bucks were handed a crushing defeat by the 8th-seeded Heat. This loss was particularly tough for the Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. With a shattered championship dream in his hands, he had to face the stinging questions of the reporters as well. Although the Greek Freak sat down for the conference, it didn’t go as well as he must’ve hoped for.

Antetokounmpo was asked by a reporter if he considers this season a failure. After he answered the question, things went haywire for the 28-year-old. Amidst a mixed bag of reactions, he received some tough love from two of the most seasoned veterans of the game. Other than that, Antetokounmpo was recently handed a harsh reality check by another ex-NBA star.

Giannis Antetokounmpo gets hit with a stinging reality check by an ex-NBA star

The Bucks were ranked among the favorites to win this year’s championship. Not just that, but their frontman was also among the MVP contenders for the year. But as the Heat managed to do the unthinkable, the NBA world has turned on its head. During the post-game interview, Antekounmpo answered the reporter’s question with a Michael Jordan analogy.

He said that Jordan played for 15 years and ended his career with six trophies. Should the other seasons be labeled as a failure for His Airness? This response from the 2x MVP created an uproar in the NBA world.

While discussing Antetokounmpo’s outlook on the loss, Gilbert Arenas disagreed with the 2021 NBA champion. He said “You were the #1 team in the NBA. Did you fail? Yes.” Arenas said that just because he reached the playoffs does not mean that he didn’t fail. He added that a championship win, or at least a strong fight, was expected from the Bucks.

The 3x NBA All-Star said, “If you didn’t get close to your prediction, you failed.” Arenas added that Antetokounmpo’s argument is flawed as his team didn’t move forward with this loss. He said, “This year you cannot say you moved forward towards the goal. You moved backwards this year.”

Earlier, Antetokounmpo’s post-game interview was discussed by Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley.

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Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley imparted their wisdom to the young Antetokounmpo

The two respected individuals talked about the young star and his team’s failure. Shaq said that this season is surely a failure, but Antetokounmpo is definitely not a failure. He acknowledged that the 28-year-old is one of the best to play the game and he still has a lot to learn. Chuck said that one doesn’t always need to win to prove their standing as a great of the game. Both the legends agreed that Antetokounmpo will learn and bounce back from this.

Amidst the backlash and disheartening exit from the season, a few words of encouragement from such legends must be a relief.

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As fans, we hope that Antetokounmpo comes back stronger next season because there are only a few who work their magic on the hardwood like the Greek Freak!