Giannis Antetokounmpo on Friday said that he appreciated the compliment LeBron James gave him by saying the Milwaukee Bucks star could have scored 250 points in a game if he had played in the 1970s.
However, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player also said it is not really a fair comparison.
“Great compliment, but I don’t like comparing eras,” Antetokounmpo said after the Bucks’ 116-107 loss to the New York Knicks. “It’s not fair. If I’d played in the [19]70s, how everybody practiced and how everybody played, we would have played the same way. That’s all you knew at the time. The game evolves. We got to 2020 and we know more.”
Photo: Michael McLoone / Imagn Images
James had made the remark on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show while discussing how basketball had evolved over the past half century or so.
“You’re trying to tell me Giannis wouldn’t be able to play an NBA game in the [19]70s?” James asked rhetorically. “Giannis Antetokounmpo would have 250 points in a game in the [19]70s — 250. That’s no disrespect, but seriously.”
When Antetokounmpo was first asked about James’ comment, he initially gave a light-hearted response by saying “it would probably be more like 275, not 250,” before laughing and adding that he was only joking.
Then he gave his serious response by explaining why he believes it is not fair to compare players from different eras.
“It’s totally different, so you can’t compare this era with that era,” Antetokounmpo said. “I wish at this era that I play at now — 2025 — I wish I could score 250 points today, but, yeah, I don’t think it’s fair to compare. I’d probably play the same way they played if I played in the [19]70s.”
“It’s a great compliment coming from one of the best players in the league. It’s definitely a great compliment. I appreciate it,” he added.
Elsewhere on Friday, it was:
‧ Nets 100, Clippers 132
‧ Nuggets 129, Jazz 93
‧ Pelicans 95, Warriors 111
‧ Pistons 133, Cavaliers 122
‧ Raptors 108, Hornets 97
‧ Timberwolves 124, Suns 109
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
Arne Slot has denied that Darwin Nunez was dropped from Liverpool’s win against West Ham because of a training-ground row with a member of his coaching staff. The Liverpool head coach on Sunday last week said that Nunez was absent from the 2-1 victory at Anfield, having felt unwell during training the day before, although the striker sat behind the substitutes throughout the game. Speculation has been rife that the Uruguay international, whom Slot criticized for his work rate against Wolves and Aston Villa in February, was left out for disciplinary reasons. Asked on Friday to clarify the situation, Slot said: “He
RSS