Giannis Antetokounmpo has made a name for himself as one of the best players in the NBA right now. The Greek Freak seems to be only improving with every game. The Milwaukee Bucks drafted him in the 2013 NBA Draft as the 15th overall pick. Since then, Giannis has cemented his status as one of the league’s superstars, so much so that he has reached the level of NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in a particular aspect.
Kareem is an NBA legend who boasts 6 championship rings on his finger. He is also the all-time leading scorer of the NBA and is currently being chased by the one and only LeBron James. Apart from that, another record of his has been broken by another world-class player as well.
Can Giannis Antetokounmpo reach Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s level?
Giannis put up 200 points, 82 rebounds, and 30 assists in the last game. He has averaged 40.0 points, 16.4 rebounds, and 6.4 assists during this period. The last time a player did this was back in 1972, and it was none other than Kareem.
Giannis is the first player since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1972 to drop 200+ PTS, 80+ REB, and 30+ AST over a 5-game span.
Dominant 💪 pic.twitter.com/EcbNzBkVP1
— NBA (@NBA) January 5, 2023
The best part about the stat is that Kareem was playing for the Milwaukee Bucks in 1972 as well. It looks like the Bucks might be the masterminds behind these astonishing records after all. In the 1971-72 NBA season, Kareem put up at least 34.8 points, 16.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. If we compare it to Giannis’ numbers from this season, they don’t look all that different.
The 28-year-old has averaged 32.7 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists after 32 games played during the current season. The stats, and the milestone he achieved recently, show that he has what it takes to reach the absolute top. Giannis already has one championship ring with the Bucks, which was the same number of titles that Kareem won with the franchise as well.
Although only time will tell if Giannis will go on to be one of the league’s finest, he might be on the right track. He will have to keep up his current form and be consistent enough to chase more records in the future.
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