On October 6, 2021, crowned with his championship title won against the Suns three months earlier, Giannis Antetokounmpo had spent his nerves in training on a rookie, Sandro Mamukelashvili.
The 54th pick in the 2021 Draft wasn’t just in the wrong place at the wrong time as he tasted the wrath of the 2019 and 2020 MVP, after provoking him. Just that and for his first training against the Greek!
“He started talking to me. He said to me, ‘Yo Giannis, I’m going to turn you off today, I’m going to kick your ass'”, remembers the MVP of the Finals 2021 . “I was tying my shoes. He didn’t know me, it was our first meeting. He was like a kid with energy, who loves to talk a lot. I didn’t answer, I just laced my shoes, did my weight training and the workout started. »
Obviously, the young interior will have a bad quarter of an hour against Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“I had a target in mind: Mamu. The Bucks posted a video on social media. I was seen scoring, dunking and countering Mamu. Back in the locker room, I took off my shoes and asked him if he remembered what he had said that morning. He answered me yes. That’s how I do it: I don’t talk, I play. »
Giannis already bullying the rookies on the court. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/e1bzYeSQpY
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) October 7, 2021
No doubt possible, the video has been posted, it is still online, and Sandro Mamukelashvili has been dominated by the Greek. “He destroyed me”, he acknowledges. There is nevertheless a small downside to this anecdote: the origin of this story never existed because Giannis invented everything!
Sandro Mamukelashvili spoke to him well before this training, he does not deny it, but without ever doing “trashtalking” as the All-Star claims.
“Yeah, man, watch out, I’m coming”says the interior when asked what exactly he said to his teammate. “I was laughing because I was all excited, it was the first time I spoke to him. I was facing the best player in the world, it was crazy. »
As Michael Jordan in his time, the documentary “The Last Dance” had perfectly demonstrated, the Milwaukee star twisted the facts to motivate himself. And it’s obviously not the first time…
“I remember he said something to me. I don’t know if I did it at that time, but sometimes in my head I exaggerate certain things.confesses the “Greek Freak”. “I transform things in such a way as to give me motivation, to use it as fuel. Maybe this story is part of that. »
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2013-14 | MIL | 77 | 25 | 41.4 | 34.7 | 68.3 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 6.8 |
| 2014-15 | MIL | 81 | 31 | 49.1 | 15.9 | 74.1 | 1.2 | 5.5 | 6.7 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 12.7 |
| 2015-16 | MIL | 80 | 35 | 50.6 | 25.7 | 72.4 | 1.4 | 6.2 | 7.7 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 16.9 |
| 2016-17 | MIL | 80 | 36 | 52.1 | 27.2 | 77.0 | 1.8 | 7.0 | 8.8 | 5.4 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 22.9 |
| 2017-18 | MIL | 75 | 37 | 52.9 | 30.7 | 76.0 | 2.1 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 26.9 |
| 2018-19 ★ | MIL | 72 | 33 | 57.8 | 25.6 | 72.9 | 2.2 | 10.3 | 12.5 | 5.9 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 27.7 |
| 2019-20 ★ | MIL | 63 | 30 | 55.3 | 30.4 | 63.3 | 2.2 | 11.4 | 13.6 | 5.6 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 29.5 |
| 2020-21 | MIL | 61 | 33 | 56.9 | 30.3 | 68.5 | 1.6 | 9.4 | 11.0 | 5.9 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 28.2 |
| 2021-22 | MIL | 67 | 33 | 55.3 | 29.3 | 72.2 | 2.0 | 9.6 | 11.6 | 5.8 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 29.9 |
| Total | 656 | 33 | 53.5 | 28.8 | 71.8 | 1.7 | 7.7 | 9.4 | 4.6 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 21.8 | |
