Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks star and reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo understands why his Greek Freak moniker became popular, and he loves it just as much as his fans, the 25-year-old just has no clue when or where it started.

"I don't remember the first time I heard about it—it was probably my rookie year—but I really don't know who came up with it," Antetokounmpo told ESPN Radio Wisconsin on Thursday. "I just went on the court one day and I had like a crazy dunk or a crazy block and after that everyone started calling me the Greek Freak. So it stuck by me—I love it and it's a cool nickname."

That doesn't mean Antetokounmpo lived up to the name right away. In his first year in the league, the 6'9", 215-pound forward averaged just 6.8 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 24.6 minutes per game. He received just one vote for Rookie of the Year and made the All-Rookie second team. 

Five years later, Antetokounmpo, now standing 6'11" and 242 pounds, is among the best basketball players in the world, averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. The nickname has stuck with him throughout his rise, but the Athens, Greece, native is careful not to confuse the label with his lifestyle.

"The most important thing is you cannot lose yourself in it. There's a lot of pressure, there's a lot of things that are going to try to pull you from 'come this way, do this.' For example, this event with Nike, or tomorrow you've got to do this event with T-Mobile. Like, there's so many things that you're going to have in front of you that you've got to do, but you've just got to be able to balance your personal life with the Greek Freak life. Giannis and the Greek Freak are two different people.

"I hope that doesn't sound arrogant -- I'm not trying to sound arrogant -- but that's how I'm trying to think. I'm trying to think when I'm with my family, I'm with my family. Sometimes when you're the MVP, you're the leader of the team, you've got to do a photo shoot and all that, you lose yourself, and whenever I'm with my family, I'm myself."

As he awaits the return of the NBA, that's exactly what Antetokounmpo is focusing on. The 25-year-old announced the arrival of his first child, Liam, in February and has been able to spend time with his family while the league is on hiatus. 

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has filed a lawsuit against the Fan Closet website for selling "Greek Freak" merchandise. He's seeking at least $2 million in damages.

Dean Balsamini of the New York Post reported Saturday that Antetokounmpo, who owns a trademark for the Greek Freak nickname, filed documents in a New York City federal court against Fan Closet's operators, California residents Phil Willett and Stefen Hill, after they failed to handle the situation "in good faith."

The 25-year-old reigning NBA MVP sent a cease-and-desist letter to the company March 27 and, while it scrubbed the website of merchandise barring the moniker, Fan Closet didn't reach an agreement that "would ensure that infringement has ceased," per Balsamini.

Antetokounmpo's filing says he should be "reasonably compensated for the damage he incurred" for the unlicensed items, which included phone cases, hoodies, baby onesies and bodysuits, according to the New York Post.

The Athens, Greece, native filed a similar lawsuit in defense of the Greek Freak trademark against a Pennsylvania-based artist in July 2019. The sides reached an undisclosed settlement last September.

Greek Freak is a nickname "that fits me," Antetokounmpo told reporters in June.

The four-time All-Star had emerged as the MVP favorite once again while leading the Bucks to an NBA-best 53-12 record before the 2019-20 season was delayed indefinitely by the coronavirus pandemic.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo apologized for the messages that were posted on his social media accounts earlier Thursday.

"I was hacked and the situation is currently being investigated," he said. "The tweets and posts were extremely inappropriate and I am so disappointed and disgusted that somebody would say the terrible things that were said!"

The reigning league MVP apologized to the Milwaukee Bucks organization, Kobe Bryant's family, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and his family, and Khris Middleton: 

pic.twitter.com/CVMpahBDDO

— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) May 8, 2020

This comes after Antetokounmpo's brother, Kostas, tweeted, "Giannis' twitter, phone, email and bank accounts were hacked! He genuinely apologizes for everything that was tweeted and he will be back as soon as possible! The things that were said by this hacker were extremely inappropriate and disgusting!"

Eric Woodyard of ESPN confirmed the Bucks were investigating the situation and noted Antetokounmpo's agent, Alex Saratsis, said his client did not send the earlier tweets.

Katie DeLong of Milwaukee's Fox 6 Now noted "the tweets included racial slurs, profane attacks on other players and a claim that Antetokounmpo had the coronavirus." Harrison Faigen of SB Nation's Silver Screen & Roll pointed out Kostas was replying to the tweets and making sure people knew Giannis' account had been hacked:

https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1258481648745672709

The tweets have all since been deleted.

Alex Saratsis, agent for Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, confirmed the reigning NBA MVP's Twitter account was hacked on Thursday, per ESPN's Eric Woodyard.  Woodyard also reported the Bucks were looking into the attack on Antetokounmpo's accounts. 

The announcement comes in the wake of a series of insensitive tweets made from Antetokounmpo's account that included racist and derogatory language. 

Giannis later took to the account to apologize and explain: 

pic.twitter.com/CVMpahBDDO

— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) May 8, 2020

According to Kostas, Giannis' brother, the hacker got into Giannis' twitter, phone, email and bank accounts. 

"He genuinely apologizes for everything that was tweeted and he will be back as soon as possible," Kostas wrote on Twitter. "The things that were said by this hacker were extremely inappropriate and disgusting!"

Kostas posted responses to each of the tweets that "someone hacked this account" and Giannis "didn't post this."   

https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1258481648745672709

Per Katie DeLong of Milwaukee's Fox 6 Now, the tweets began appearing on Antetokounmpo's feed around 2:30 p.m. local time and were deleted within 15 minutes. 

The most recent post from Antetokounmpo was on May 1 when he retweeted a video from the NBA about making a positive impact on local communities during the pandemic.

 

Michael Redd recalls the feeling when his Milwaukee Bucks advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals during his rookie season. Though he sat behind the team's star at the time, Ray Allen, he couldn't help but think of his time and moments to come in the future. "'Oh, this is normal. It's the Eastern Conference Finals. Wow, great start," Redd said during a recent telephone call.

Redd, taken in the second round of the 2000 draft out of Ohio State, eventually blossomed into a franchise cornerstone in Milwaukee, making an All-Star team in 2004 and, four years later, claiming an Olympic gold medal in Beijing. But he never again qualified for the conference finals before twice-torn ACL and MCL injuries in his left knee ended his playing days after 12 years in the NBA.

Still, he entered each season with renewed optimism, a trait that is aiding Redd in his new line of work as a venture partner. "I've used a lot of optimism bias that I had when I played toward now failed opportunities or a loss in business," Redd said. "Staying positive. Grit, resiliency, tenacity—those elements, those characteristics you have to have in investing as well as in business."

Redd recently joined ADvantage Sports Tech Fund, a firm backed by the family of Adidas founder, Adi Dassler, and Israeli investment group OurCrowd with a goal to source and advance new sports analytics, technologies and development. Jeremy Pressman, a partner at ADvantage, described Redd as a natural leader. He recalled an instance when one of their portfolio companies sought information on breaking into the U.S. market. Redd quickly put together a brief pitch. "We're talking from requests to action was a matter of weeks, two weeks, if that, to getting meetings with key decision-makers or in this case the relevant sports teams and stakeholders," Pressman said.

"He's been quite actively involved with business development and marketing activities; kind of right off the bat, he hit the ground running with that same energy and attention that he brought as an athlete on the court," Pressman said. "I think he brings that to just about everything he does in life, including venture investing."

For Redd, the decision wasn't merely about finding a financial opportunity but connecting with his life as an athlete.

"Sometimes I'm like, Man, I'm about five years late, 10 years late—with all the advancement, with analytics, the merger of sports and data, the convergence of wellness and athletics," Redd said. "I had two ACLs that kind of derailed my career, but where technology is now 10 years later, six years later, I think you're going to see more Tom Bradys and more Vince Carters in the years to come because we have the technology and the data and the metrics to help have these careers be prolonged."

ADvantage is just the latest financial move for Redd, whose investment career is more than a decade old.

In 2008, when Redd was still playing (and winning an Olympic gold medal), he started The Wave, a non-profit group focused on fostering entrepreneurship and economic development. (After he retired, Redd founded The Wave Venture Innovation Group, which operated largely in the tech and media sectors, and 22 Ventures, a firm dedicated to support entrepreneurs and company leaders.)

"I was locked in, like most athletes are, but it wasn't until mortality begins to set in and you can kind of see the end coming—which I still believe it came prematurely for me—but you know, at some point, it's going to end," Redd said. "So, basketball was not my identity. It was something that I did. I enjoyed it. I loved it with all my heart, but that wasn't the extent of what I could be and who I could become for the next 50 years after basketball. … There was more to me than just playing ball. And I think most athletes are recognizing that now."

After retiring from the NBA in 2013, Redd returned to Columbus, Ohio, and re-ingrained himself with the city's community.

He decompressed, played golf, travelled and spent time with his family. In 2014, Redd expanded his portfolio when he was named a partner by NCT Ventures, a Columbus-based company that provides financial backing for entrepreneurs, largely in the Midwest.

"Transitioning is part of life," Redd said of moving beyond his basketball career. "Change is a part of life, but it's the adjustment to change and the adjustment to transition, which is the challenging part. If your identity is wrapped up in what you do, it's going to be really ultra-hard for most athletes to end, because the spotlight is not as bright as it was compared to when you were playing, and if that's the case, you have a hard time after retirement. … There's nothing that can replace the fourth quarter of the playoffs or the championship or the gold medal ... but you can channel it into other things, and that competitive nature, those skill sets that you had when you played ... are applicable to everything after basketball as well."

He thought about what he enjoys doing and how to channel that.

"I had a curiosity of what was next, particularly with sports tech, but overall a passion for entrepreneurs. After all, us as young athletes are entrepreneurial in our mindsets when we leave school early and be risk-takers on our own careers."

He first sought to learn everything he could in angel investing.

"You're a gold medalist in your professional sport, but you're a junior executive or you have a junior perspective when it comes to a different space," Redd said. "Humility is key as you transition. Just because you were an expert as a professional in one space, it doesn't mean you are that in another space. Putting yourself around people who are smarter than you is important. But the transition psychologically, it's a great challenge for a lot of people because those skill sets that you had, they never go away. The body gets older, but your mind and your skill sets are still there."

Redd has contributed to more than 85 companies, the bulk in media and technology. "I just really basically had a number of things thrown at me in real estate, different other opportunities," he said "I really found more of a passion in the world that I'm in now. So, really got my feet wet with the local venture capital firm here in town and learned a lot. Still learning a lot six years later."

Part of that learning curve is coming to terms with the notion that losses are a cost of doing business. "Some of the failures I've had in business or investments, it's been, 'OK, that didn't work. What's next? How do I pivot?'" Redd said. "Compared to if you have a one-game winner-take-all game in the playoffs, there is no tomorrow."

A little more than a decade ago, Sports Illustrated estimated that 60 percent of former NBA players are broke within five years of retirement. Redd and others are part of a wave of former athletes who are taking ownership and autonomy in their post-playing days after leveraging opportunities to learn the corporate world while playing. Among them, Junior Bridgeman, who played for 12 seasons in the NBA, owned more than 100 Wendy's and Chili's restaurants before becoming president and CEO of Bridgeman Foods, Inc., and Jamal Mashburn, also a 12-year NBA veteran, owns restaurant franchises and car dealerships all around Kentucky.

"There's all kinds of great stories," Redd said. "Now it's become more of a thing for athletes to begin to think of themselves as a brand. So, by no means am I a trailblazer; I've been more stealth and discreet about what I've done over the last six, seven years. But I'm so proud to see guys now take themselves more seriously—more than just the endorser of a company. You may have shares and upside, you may have equity, you may have ownership."

Currently, Redd is dividing his time between being a janitor, cook, husband, teacher and principal while at home with his wife and two children during the pandemic.

"It's been interesting on a lot of levels because we've never been home—and I think a lot of people can attest to this—we've never been home this long consistently day by day, night by night, never ever," Redd said. "So it's been really interesting with them. They have not destroyed each other, which is a good thing. They are somewhat having fun with each other. We're trying to be creative with them by playing with them and having fun and getting outside. But it's been unique discovering their transition in life. Our kids are getting older now, and there's a perspective now that I have at where they are compared to where they were as babies and it's been fun. We usually, my wife and I usually observe them anyway, but we've had more time to observe their personalities or tendencies."

Redd hopes that his ventures can be part of the healing process once the country starts to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

"Everything is uncertain right now, and I think it's a matter of everyone—angel investors—it's really a new reality that's upon us," he said. "There is focus on pain right now; figuring out the pain and how to make people's lives better is going to be a new focus. That's always been the focus of life and innovation and creativity. But even more so now."

           

Jonathan Abrams is a senior writer for B/R Mag. A former staff writer at Grantland and sports reporter at the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Abrams is also the bestselling author of All the Pieces Matter: The Inside Story of The Wire—available right here, right now. Follow him on Twitter, @jpdabrams.

Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill said Tuesday his wife's 85-year-old grandmother was recently diagnosed with the coronavirus, but she's since overcome the disease.

"By the grace of God, she beat it," Hill told reporters.

He added: "It just kind of gives you a sense of where life is. Sometimes we take things for granted and things can go sideways by the snap of a finger."

Hill explained wife's grandmother dealt with chills, a "really high" fever and lost her senses of taste and smell while dealing with COVID-19. He noted she "didn't eat for a while" but was eventually able to recover.

The 33-year-old Indiana native added he's been spending his time in San Antonio during the pandemic.

Hill told Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he's "50-50" about the 2019-20 NBA season eventually resuming, saying the decision should be based on the "best decision for not just us as athletes, but us as human beings, us as a whole world, I think that's the best thing:"

"Basketball's just something temporary that we do and we're blessed to do, but life is way more precious than this ball that we play. If that's the case, they cancel the season, yes as an athlete I will be upset, but at the same time, we can't do anything about it. I think it will be the best decision for that. If we play, I'm excited to play again and get back on that court. I think we had something special going and would love to finish it. But like I said, life itself is way more precious than this game that we're playing and I just want everyone to stay safe and go from there."

The Bucks owned the best record in the NBA at 53-12 when the campaign was halted.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said last week "everything is on the table," but there's no timetable when the league will decide how to move forward.

Milwaukee Bucks stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton said Friday they haven't been getting any shots up during the coronavirus pandemic—which caused an indefinite delay of the 2019-20 NBA season—because they don't have basketball hoops at their homes. 

Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel provided the update.

Middleton noted a neighbor does have a rim, but he's opted to work out and keep his dribbling fresh at his own house amid social-distancing guidelines.

Antetokounmpo (29.6 points per game) and Middleton (21.1) were the Bucks' two leading scorers when the NBA went on hiatus. Milwaukee owned the best record in the league at 53-12 with 17 games remaining on its regular-season slate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZzQCbIU21I

NBA commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN's Rachel Nichols in mid-March there's no definite timetable for a return to action and he laid out the next steps:

"What are the conditions we need for the league to restart? I would say I'm looking at three different things. One is, when can we restart and operate as we've known it with 19,000 fans in buildings? ... Option two is, should we consider restarting without fans, and what would that mean? Because, presumably, if we had a group of players, and staff around them, and you could test them and follow some sort of protocol, doctors and health officials may say it's safe to play.

"A third option that we are looking at now ... the impact on the national psyche of having no sports programming on television. And one of the things we've been talking about are, are there conditions in which a group of players could compete—maybe it's for a giant fundraiser or just the collective good of the people—where you take a subset of players and, is there a protocol where they can be tested and quarantined and isolated in some way, and they could compete against one another? Because people are stuck at home, and I think they need a diversion. They need to be entertained."

If the 2019-20 season eventually resumes, the Bucks will join the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers as the chief championship contenders heading into the playoffs.

If the NBA is able to resume play this season, the Milwaukee Bucks will be prepared for any potential playoff matchups.  

Per ESPN's Eric Woodyard, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer explained the team is "operating and functioning and just have a mentality that we will play" by looking into teams they could meet in the postseason:

"Basketball-wise, I would say we are kind of finding ways to dig into potential playoff opponents, maybe not just first round, but Eastern Conference. And right now that's kind of where we are, with kind of a little bit more emphasis on if the season ended today it's very, very close with Orlando and Brooklyn [as the seventh and eighth seeds]."

Woodyard noted that Bucks players have been in contact via group chat since March 11, but the team's film work is "not as comprehensive as usual" given current limitations with social distancing. 

When the NBA suspended its season on March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Bucks were on pace for a historic season. Their .815 winning percentage is the best in franchise history; the 1970-71 team that had an .805 winning percentage won the NBA championship. 

Milwaukee's 53-12 record when the season was suspended is the best in the NBA. The team had already clinched a playoff berth and had a 6.5-game lead over the Toronto Raptors for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. 

The Bucks' 10.7 net rating is on pace to be the best by any team since the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors (11.4). 

Even though the NBA has yet to determine when or if games will resume, commissioner Adam Silver has said he remains optimistic about being able to finish the 2019-20 season in some form. 

 

Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden may have engaged in a war of words around the All-Star break, but the reigning NBA MVP seems to respect the Houston Rockets star's ability to score. 

Answering fan questions on Instagram Live, Antetokounmpo called Harden the most difficult player to guard in the NBA. 

Who is the hardest player to guard in the NBA right now?

Giannis says it's James Harden. pic.twitter.com/RZI9L5763v

— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) March 27, 2020

There's been a back-and-forth verbal battle between the two superstars dating back to last August when Harden told 97.9 The Box he didn't win the MVP award because of the media narrative. 

"I think once the media creates a narrative about somebody from the beginning of the year, I think they just take that narrative and run with it the entire year," he said.

Antetokounmpo seemed to escalate things during the All-Star draft in February when he passed on Harden by saying he wanted someone on his team "who's gonna pass the ball."

In a sit-down interview with ESPN's Rachel Nichols, Harden criticized Antetokounmpo by saying all he does is "run and be seven feet (tall) and just dunk," adding, "I had to actually learn how to play basketball and how to have skill, you know?"

Despite their apparent differences, Antetokounmpo sounds like he's able to appreciate the difficulty of guarding a player who has led the NBA in scoring in three straight seasons, including this year when play was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.    

Before the NBA suspended the 2019-20 season because of the coronavirus pandemic, Giannis Antetokounmpo was on pace to win his second straight MVP. He has powered the Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the NBA (53-12), and he has been even better this season than he was last year.

LeBron James has been making a push for the MVP, with the Los Angeles Lakers only three games behind the Bucks for the NBA's best record. But as great as James has been all season, Antetokounmpo has been better on both ends of the court. 

The Bucks lead the league in point differential by nearly four points. The last team to have a double-digit point differential was the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors, who went on to win the championship that year. 

Although Antetokounmpo is averaging only 30.9 minutes per game because the Bucks blow so many teams out, that hasn't adversely affected his MVP chances. In fact, it has only enhanced them.

                        

Giannis' Offensive Dominance

Antetokounmpo has been an offensive force in a variety of ways. 

He's averaging 5.8 assists per game this season, continuing his recent trend of being a facilitator. With defenses sending multiple defenders at him, he always finds the open man, like center Brook Lopez in the corner for a three-pointer or All-Star forward Khris Middleton cutting to the basket. 

Head coach Mike Budenholzer has utilized Antetokounmpo as both the ball-handler and the screener in pick-and-rolls. Aa the ball-handler, he uses his agility and long strides to get around defenders. 

Here, even with Lopez setting the screen so high, he crosses back on Serge Ibaka and gets to the rim in only a handful of steps

Then as a screener for Eric Bledsoe, Antetokounmpo rolls to the rim for an easy dunk. He's averaging 1.09 points per possession as a pick-and-roll ball-handler and 1.19 as a roll man.

Antetokounmpo has also worked on his three-point shooting. After shooting only 25.6 percent from deep last season, he's improved to 30.6 percent this season on a career-high 4.8 attempts per game.

The Bucks have been the NBA's most dominant team, which all starts with Antetokounmpo.

                

Giannis' Defensive Dominance 

The Bucks lead the NBA with a 101.6 defensive rating. It's even better when Antetokounmpo is on the floor. Milwaukee's defensive rating is 96.5 when he's on the court and 104.2 when he's off. 

The team's paint defense is particularly stifling. Opponents have been shooting 9.8 percentage points below their average on shots within six feet of the basket against Milwaukee.

The defense collapses on any paint penetration, like when Antetokounmpo slides off his man in the corner to send Kendrick Nunn's shot away.

Antetokounmpo has also perfected James' chase-down block in transition. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson thinks he has an opportunity for an easy bucket, but he does not notice that Antetokounmpo is sizing him up for a big block. 

Blocks are only one part of Antetokounmpo's defense. He does a great job of using his long arms to get deflections and steals, too. 

Here, Kelly Olynyk thinks he has Goran Dragic open on a back cut. That is, until Antetokounmpo extends his arms into the passing lane, forcing a Miami Heat turnover.

One-on-one, Antetokounmpo does a great job finding his positioning. He can go from covering the pick-and-roll to helping on a post-up before recovering to his man. 

Against Bam Adebayo here, he does not overcommit on the pump-fake. Instead, he stays in front of the drive, forcing a charge. Stellar defense comprises a large part of Antetokounmpo's MVP candidacy. He's among the front-runners for Defensive Player of the Year as well.

              

 

Fewest Minutes Ever

In 2014-15, Stephen Curry averaged 32.7 minutes per night for the Golden State Warriors, which is the record for the fewest minutes ever averaged during an MVP campaign. That just edged out Antetokounmpo's 32.8 minutes per game last season, when he won his first MVP. 

Before Curry's 14-15 season, legendary Portland Trail Blazer Bill Walton averaged the fewest minutes in his MVP campaign during the 1977-78 season, with 33.3 minutes per night across 58 games. 

(Stats from Basketball-Reference.com)

After averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 points and 5.9 assists in 32.8 minutes in 2018-19, Antetokounmpo is averaging more points (29.6) and rebounds (13.7) in fewer minutes (30.9) this season.

Antetokounmpo ranks third in the NBA in scoring, trailing only James Harden and Bradley Beal. Harden leads the league with 34.4 points per game, but he's second in minutes played (36.7). Beal is second in points (30.5) and tied for fifth in minutes (36.0).

In other words: Antetokounmpo is playing five fewer minutes per game than the league's top two scorers and is nearly averaging 30 points regardless. 

The only real threat to Antetokounmpo's second straight MVP is James, who has been great in his own right. He's averaging 25.7 points per game and leads the league with 10.6 assists per game. However, he's playing four minutes more than Antetokounmpo. 

On top of that, James has not been as good on defense as Antetokounmpo. The Bucks allow 7.7 more points per 100 possessions with Antetokounmpo off the floor, while the Lakers allow only 3.6 more points per 100 possessions without James.

If the NBA is able to resume the 2019-20 season at some point, Antetokounmpo could become the first player to win MVP while averaging less than 31 minutes per game.

                 

Mo Dakhil spent six years with the Los Angeles Clippers and two years with the San Antonio Spurs as a video coordinator, as well as three years with the Australian men's national team. Follow him on Twitter, @MoDakhil_NBA.