NBA Legend Says $70 Million Rich Giannis Antetokounmpo Would Be a ?Waterboy? in Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant?s Era

Giannis Antetokounmpo, or the ‘Greek Freak’, stands out from the court, owing to his adaptability and agility. The player was instrumental in helping the Milwaukee Bucks win their first NBA title in 50 years in 2021. He led the Bucks to a six-game series victory over the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals, averaging 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. He is quite a force on the team.

Meanwhile, Tracy McGrady, a Hall of Famer has his own opinion on the player, comparing him with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

Tracy McGrady speaks on Giannis

Tracy McGrady has shared his views on how the current NBA stars would fare in a previous era of basketball. On a recent episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, McGrady and the presenter Shaquille O’Neal discussed whether players like Giannis Antetokounmpo would have had the same level of dominance during McGrady’s era of basketball.

According to McGrady, Antetokounmpo might have had trouble because of the previous generations’ tough defense and closed-off paint. “I think he would have struggled because of how closed up the paint was back then,” stated McGrady, “It was tough offensively because the defense was so great and the paint was closed up.”

However, he wasn’t done. He goes on to add, “If you can?t shoot, it?s gonna be hard. And Giannis? game is predicated on coming downhill…It would have been tough for him to be who he is today, back then. He?d be another waterboy.”

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McGrady: Playing with greats like Michael Jordan

Tracy McGrady’s career in NBA began during the late 1990s, which was also the prime of Michael Jordan‘s career. Growing up, McGrady looked up to Jordan and has openly acknowledged in public how much he learned from watching and competing against him. McGrady eventually had the opportunity to face off against Jordan and see firsthand the influence he had on basketball during his prime.

McGrady also had the opportunity to play with Kobe Bryant, the legendary hall of fame. Despite the fierce rivalry between the duo on the court, they duo shared quite a close friendship. Both of them joined the league at a young age in the 1996 NBA Draft. They routinely competed against one another throughout their careers and had a great deal of respect for one another’s skills.

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Despite the fact that Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ability to shoot three-pointers is not one of his strong suits, he has still been able to dominate the court with his scoring prowess and adaptability. Giannis is a formidable force on the defensive end of the court as well. Whilst it is impossible to know for sure how he would have performed in a different era, it is certain that he has already cemented his position among the top players in the game, albeit not among legends such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.