Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo Refuses To ‘Fall Into The Bubble Of Being The Face Of The NBA’

During an interview with Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo said he refuses to fall into the bubble of being the face of the NBA.

Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the league right now. Once Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James retires, the NBA will need a new “face” of the league, but Antetokounmpo doesn’t care to hold that title. 

“I refuse to fall into the bubble,” Antetokounmpo said. “I really refuse to fall into the bubble of being the face of the NBA, being an All-Star, being an MVP, being the best, whatever. I refuse to. When I take my kids to school, the teachers don’t tell me that I am the best basketball player, that yesterday I went 12-for-18. I don’t fall into the bubble, that’s a different world.

“I try to live in the real world, I try to live my life hard. I’m very happy with the things that we’ve accomplished and where God has brought us. This journey has been unbelievable. Any way you put it, it’s been unbelievable. I’m able to change my kids’ lives, my brothers’ lives, my whole family’s life, give them better education from the one I had.”

Antetokounmpo is an eight-time All-Star and a two-time regular-season MVP. He led the Bucks to the 2021 title over the Phoenix Suns, winning Finals MVP along the way.

Antetokounmpo is also one of three players in NBA history to win MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, but the Bucks legend views himself as much more than just a great basketball player. 

“But a lot of people will fight for this,” Antetokounmpo said. “Fight for, ‘I want to be the face of the NBA.’ For what? You’ll be the face of the NBA and what happened? Are you a better basketball player? What does that mean? It doesn’t mean [anything]. I don’t want this, I want to live life, a humble life, a modest life, a simple life, a quiet life, you know. Obviously, there’s things like this [movie premiere] that have to take place, but that doesn’t change me or who I am at my core, you know.

“And I try not to fall into the bubble. I refuse. I refuse to fall into the bubble of me, him, that, you, that, me. This guy’s better and this guy scored more. It’s for other people, not for me, man.”

Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks this season. He has 43 double-doubles and seven triple-doubles.

A future Hall of Famer, Antetokounmpo has career averages of 23.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks with the Bucks.