Giannis on Middleton in 2013: « Fuck that motherfucker! » «
After years of hard work, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton have finally led the Bucks to the NBA Finals. A superb stage in a journey which nevertheless began in the enmity between the two men.
The city of Milwaukee has been waiting for this for over 4 decades. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was still very young and long-haired the last time the Bucks reached the NBA Finals, which is enough to locate the resounding nature of the feat. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, they can inevitably savor.
For more than 8 years the duo has grown together and climbed the ranks one by one. In 2013, the Greek landed via the Draft while Middleton was traded from Detroit. The two men are young, ambitious… and they play at the same position, which gives rise to a big rivalry.
In an excellent article by Eric Nehm for The Athletic, Giannis remembers without filtering that time when he and his teammate got into the bacon:
You can’t imagine how much we beat each other up in training. I would go home, and when my family came, I would show them the scratches I had on my arms.
I was playing very hard with him, and he was pushing me back. I hated him. Like, « Fuck that bastard, I’m going to steal his minutes! » «
A constant intensity that laid the foundations for what is today a contender for the title. Valid Middleton:
We hated each other on the floor because we were fighting for minutes. He and I were in the same situation, so it was a battle every day in training. We just wanted to integrate the rotation and grab some playing time.
The duo of All-Stars can today laugh at these hot and atypical beginnings, far from the fate all traced of superstars who have the glory and the laurels as of their arrival in the league. After 8 years of coal, now remains to be validated by beating the Hawks in the final, which will be anything but easy.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton have built something great out of a precarious and delicate situation. And just for that, regardless of the results of the Finals, it’s hats off men.
