Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has developed into one of the best players in the world and he is definitely the face of the NBA. He guided the Bucks to their first title in 50 years and is aiming to replicate that feat once again in the upcoming season.
He underwent knee surgery during the off-season and has gradually started rehab to be fully fit ahead of the season. The Bucks lost out in the first round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat despite finishing at the top of the table in the Eastern Conference. So this time they have a new head coach in Adrian Griffin, who will look to work in tandem with Antetokounmpo.
The Greek Freak prefers to train with former NBA players during the off-season as he feels that this way he can add more facets to his game and keep improving. He believes that if he trains with current NBA players then it will take his edge off them.
However, this mentality has not worked well with everyone, especially former Boston Celtics star Evan Turner. “Ain’t nobody coming to Milwaukee to work out with you and your brother,” Turner wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“Now how ya’ll figure I was talking bout buddy?” Turner asked. “I know a lot of people in Milwaukee who I think nobody will go train with. Take it easy.”
Turner took a clear shot at Antetokounmpo but then he also tried hiding it with his second post.
Nowadays it is very common for NBA stars to train together and hone their skills, which wasn’t ideal a few years ago. Off the court most of these players are friends and they train together but on the court, they act as if they don’t know each other.
The Greek Freak continue to get better at his profession with every passing season. Speaking about this issue in training he shared his honest take in the 48 Minutes podcast.”I always compete against them,” Antetokounmpo said, “so when I am on the court, I want to go as hard as I can. I feel like the moment I am around you, I become your friend because I give everything … I don’t know how to be, how you call it, phony, I don’t know how to be fake.”
This offseason we have seen several NBA stars work together. The likes of Kevin Durant, Paolo Banchero, Jayson Tatum, Tyler Herro, etc. However, the Bucks superstar has chosen former NBA stars to help him during his training session.
This off-season, Antetokounmpo revealed that he is going down to Houston to train with Hakeem Olajuwon. He wants to learn a thing or two from the NBA legend. “This season, for the training camp, I have a trip that I’m going to go down to Houston and try to work out with Hakeem Olajuwon,” Antetokounmpo said. “I love his game, and if I can kind of take a few things from his game or learn anything from the few days I’m going to spend with him it’s going to be a blessing.”
With the 2023-24 season coming up, the Greek Freak is preparing himself ton be the best version of himself.