Giannis Antetokounmpo has definitely made his mark in the NBA on more than one occasion. Just this weekend, he broke a franchise record and made history with another triple-double.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Sets A Record And Makes History During Sunday Night’s Game
Antetokounmpo is well on his way to establishing himself as the best Bucks player ever. While Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds plenty of franchise records with the Bucks, such as most field goals, points per game and rebounds, Antetokounmpo is hitting milestones and creating new records.
On Sunday night, Antetokounmpo became the leader for the most games played for the franchise with 712 games. And with no end in sight, that number will just continue to grow.
He also made history by making his 13th perfect-triple double in NBA history. He finished the game against the Toronto Raptors with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists for his fourth triple-double of this season. Impressively, he did so on 9-of-9 from the field to register the 13th triple-double on 100% shooting in NBA history.
According to CBS Sports, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said, “It was like a pitcher with perfect game.” He continued, “At the end of the day it is fascinating to go 9-of-9 from the field and have a triple-double. I’m a little surprised it’s happened 13 times. It seems like a rarity. Not a huge stat guy or historian, but yeah, he’s special.”
During the postgame press conference, Antetokounmpo sat with the game ball in his lap to celebrate his record breaking 712th game with the Bucks and talked about his decision-making process.
“Just play to my instincts. Sometimes I’m gonna keep the ball a little bit longer because I have a lane to drive the ball. I’m just waiting for the guy to commit to me or go back to the guy he’s guarding. A lot of times I might just hold the ball for a second and the guy just leaves,” he explained.
“Before, whenever I saw two guys I needed to pass the ball. Now, sometimes I’m not in a rush. I’ve been double-teamed so many times I kinda slow down, take my time. Sometimes with a double-team, they think intheir head that you’re gonna pas the ball and you can take advantage and rip it baseline or rip it over the top to go downhill. Sometimes they’re so committed to it they want me to pass the ball. I just pull them out as much as I can, until I can find the clear and best pass possible.”
He continued to talk about it being “all instincts” and not “something that I’m doing consciously.” He also talked about not being able to take a moment to appreciate all that’s happening when it’s happening.
“When you’re in the moment it moves that fast, you don’t slow down and appreciate it,” he said. “Maybe when I’m older and I’m done and gonna look back like, ‘Oh, that was cool I was able to do that, now I’m not able to run or jump or chase my kids.’ Right now, when you’re into it, it moves too fast.”
The Bucks Star Shared His Exciting Accomplishment On Social Media
In typical comical and down-to-earth Giannis style, he shared his big news his way on Instagram. He captioned a carousel of playful selfies, “This guy has played the most Bucks games ever! 😂🤯 Thank you GOD I’m blessed 🙏🏽.”
Many of his loyal fans took to the comment section to leave words of congrats and support. “Look at Giannis man, so inspirational,” one person wrote.
“Bro… man to man. This is what sports is about. You are an inspiration to many and me personally. You are at the highest level and playing at the highest level and you take the time to appreciate EVERY. THING. ABOUT. IT. For that, I can honestly say I love you in the most respectful, honest, wholesome way. Keep being you,” said another.
It’s clear that the NBA star has many fans of all ages watching him and enjoying his milestones as they come. “How can you say anything against Giannis…love this man❤️,” one person wrote. “Thank you for making basketball great again in Milwaukee.”
