On Saturday night, Milwaukee Bucks got away with a 116-100 road win over Indiana Pacers. After the win, we did an exclusive interview with Bucks’ superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
It was a good game for you from start to finish. You guys fell behind by three and then, never looked back. Can you talk about going from there and controlling the pace of the game?
Everybody – guys that started the game, guys coming off the bench – played hard, defensively and offensively. We moved the ball, made open shots. That’s why we were able to control the game.
Can you talk about what kind of momentum this might bring to you? Can you guys build on this win?
Definitely. We’re going through a period of frustration right now but if we get back to playing harder, we’re going to achieve our goals.
This season you have defied the expectations and been selected as a starter of the All-Star Game. Throughout the season, the likes of Jason Kidd, LeBron James have praised your performances. How did those make you feel?
It’s good to get compliments from all these great players but those in my mind are big games.
Are you excited about your maiden All-Star appearance?
I’m just thinking about [upcoming] Detroit game.
What about national team? Are you planning to participate EuroBasket 2017?
Detroit game. I’m just thinking about that, really. I’m not thinking about anything else. The most important thing right now is Detroit. I’m not putting Europe or All-Star Game on my mind.
So, do you think about the past?
I can definitely think about the past. (Laughing)
Tell me a little bit about your inspirational heroes when you were a kid. You grew up in Greece and I saw a photo of you in an Olympiacos jersey. Which athletes – soccer players or basketball players – were inspirational for you?
I wanted to be athlete since I saw him on TV. I don’t think you guys know him: Yaya Toure. Thierry Henry: he used to play for Arsenal. I wanted to be a soccer player growing up. These guys were soccer players and I wanted to be a soccer player. I saw these guys playing and I was like, “Yeah! I’m gonna be an athlete. I’m gonna make a lot of money”. And then, I started playing basketball and I saw Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady. But the guy I really liked when I was young was Allen Iverson. I really love him.
What about basketball players in Greece? In Greece, there is a great basketball tradition. What about players like Spanoulis, Diamantidis etc? Were they your idols?
Definitely. Spanoulis, Diamantidis, Papaloukas. Also, who’s the other guy from… I think his name is Siskauskas. It was the guy who missed the free throw in the [2012 EuroLeague] Final. Guys like that were my idols. First game I’ve ever watched was a national team game but I don’t remember against whom.