Is Giannis Antetokounmpo the best player in the NBA? What did the Milwaukee Bucks’ player say?

Named by one news outlet as the No. 1 player in the NBA earlier this month, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo topped a list of the 100 best players in the NBA. Curiously the man himself weighed in with thoughts of his own and they might surprise you.

Giannis Antetokounmpo thinks it’s all about Steph Curry

As is normally the case with lists that name the top players of any sport, it’s really more about fans and pundits than the players themselves. To that end, it was no surprise that Giannis maintained a humble stance when questioned about his status as top dog, but he actually went further and declared that he believes it’s actually Steph Curry who is the best player in the world, having led the Golden State Warriors to yet another title last season.

“Do I believe that I’m one of the best players in the league in the way I help my team be great and win games? “Yeah I do,” Giannis said. “I’m mature enough, I’m old enough to understand that. Do I believe I’m the best in the world? No. I think the best player in the world is the person that is the last one standing, the person that takes his team to the finish line and helps them win games and become champion. Two years ago when we did that, yeah, when I was sleeping in my bad I was like ‘Ah yeah, maybe I’m the best player in the world.’ But now, no. In my opinion, the way I view it, the winner is the best. The guy who wins is the best... I believe that the best player in the world is Steph Curry until the next player.”

What did Steph Curry have to say about Giannis’ comments?

Who doesn’t love a bit of banter? Believe it or not, the Warriors also had the media day on that Sunday and when Curry was asked about Giannis’ comments he had an equally interesting response. Of course, the Warriors star also took a diplomatic road, but in a cheeky way.

“I don’t know if it was gamesmanship to set the table for - I would say the same thing when you’re facing the champions,” Curry said. “That’s part of like the nature of the league. We all want to win the championship, and when you look at the team that’s the last team standing and who was playing the best, I was thinking the same thing about him last year, coming off their run. So, I appreciate the compliment. It’s not going to soften me up to get complacent at all. But you do appreciate the respect of your peers to say stuff like that, and I’ve been in the situation where I’m complimenting guys around the league a lot as well.”

Where does Giannis actually stand in NBA hierarchy?

The idea of who is the best can often be a very subjective conversation, regardless of what sport we’re talking about. That’s also before we even consider the multiple factors in play when such a notion comes up. As good is Curry is, what about his defense? As good as Giannis is, what about his shooting? Ultimately, what we can all agree on is that Giannis is without doubt among the league’s best. Last season he averaged 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.4 blocks per game last season. Indeed, Giannis is the only player in the league’s history to average at least 29 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and one block, and he’s done that twice in his career.

The thing that’s special about Giannis is his devotion to improvement. The ‘Greek Freak’ as he’s known to fans, is perhaps the hardest working player in the league, when it comes to bettering his craft and will likely be among MVP candidates for quite some time. On the other hand, he does have a point: to be the best you’ve got to be the last man standing.