Giannis Antetokounmpo has become the all-time leading rebounder in Milwaukee Bucks history in the NBA, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The milestone was achieved during the victory over the Houston Rockets on Sunday (17th). The Greek now leads the franchise in points, rebounds, and assists, entering a select group of all-time athletes.
The victory was also marked by Damian Lillard’s 39-point performance. In addition, the point guard distributed 11 assists and hit five of eight three-point attempts. The team’s momentum is great after a difficult start to the 2023/24 season. There are 13 wins in the last 16 games.
After the match, the Greek reflected on his career trajectory and what he plans to do to stay at a high level for a long time.
“It’s a great honor above all. I don’t think anyone imagined this for me. When I entered the NBA, there were no such expectations for a player like me. Many said I was just a skinny kid from Greece, who should go play in the G League. So, achieving this is huge for me. We’re talking about Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He was amazing,” he said.
Read more about the Bucks! Damian Lillard leads Bucks to victory over Rockets Giannis Antetokounmpo rises in the MVP Race Giannis Antetokounmpo’s record ends in controversy with the Pacers “I want to keep playing basketball at a high level for many years. It’s a short career, requires a lot of sacrifices, and my mission is to do these little things. It’s this kind of thing that brings you records like today’s. So, it’s ongoing work. But I reaffirm: I’m very blessed to achieve this mark for the Bucks. Now, it’s about moving forward and competing for victories,” he concluded.
The press conference, which also featured Khris Middleton, had a lighthearted moment. The forward was asked if he expected to see his teammate breaking all the franchise records. He didn’t hesitate.
“Never,” he joked. “He deserves it. He’s been working very well for it, and that’s the result. But he doesn’t have all the records yet. After all, I’m the guy with the most three-pointers around here.”
Giannis then jokingly replied, “I’m going after that one too, Khris. It might take 20 years, maybe I’ll play more time around here, but I’ll get it,” the star added.
This may be a record that the superstar won’t achieve. At the moment, Middleton has 1,281 three-pointers for the team. However, the two-time league MVP is more than 700 hits behind in this regard. There are 504.
On the other hand, a very possible record is steals. Antetokounmpo is the fourth highest in the ranking, below Quinn Buckner (1,042), Paul Pressey (894), and Sidney Moncrief (874). He has 852 steals so far, meaning he is less than 200 away from becoming the team’s all-time leader in this stat.
Historic Club Finally, in addition to becoming the all-time leading rebounder in Milwaukee Bucks history, Giannis Antetokounmpo has joined a select group of NBA legends. After all, only four players lead a single team in points, rebounds, and assists.
The other names are Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls, LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Kevin Garnett with the Minnesota Timberwolves
