By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo believes that the special circumstances under which the NBA resumption is going to take place amid the coronavirus pandemic, make the upcoming championship title the “toughest” a player could ever capture.
“I feel like a lot of people say that there’s gonna be a star next to this championship,” Antetokounmpo said in a conference call, per ESPN. “I feel like, at the end of the day, this is gonna be the toughest championship you could ever win — because the circumstances are really, really tough right now. So, whoever wants it more is going to be able to go out there and take it.”
Antetokounmpo, the reigning NBA MVP, admitted that there are health concerns ahead of the NBA restart, but once in Orlando, Florida, he and his teammates will be focused on the playing task at hand.
“Everybody has concerns about their health. Nobody wants to put themselves in risk out there, but at the end of the day, that’s what the NBA chose, and we’re gonna resume the games, and we’ve all gotta do our job,” Antetokounmpo said. “And my job is to play basketball and go out there and support my teammates, and represent the city. But for sure, I think me, my teammates, my family — especially my mom — everybody has concerns about our health, and my health.”
When the NBA was suspended on March 11, the Bucks had the best record in the league, standing at the top of the Eastern Conference with 53 – 12. It has been a long hiatus since then which makes the championship pursue even more difficult.
“I feel like, as I said before, this is the toughest title,” Giannis said. “Obviously, you go somewhere without your family for four months, three months, and you haven’t played basketball for three-and-a-half, four months. Obviously, whoever team wants it more, has gotta be mentally prepared for all the situations and gotta go out there and execute,” Antetokounmpo said.
“Whoever plays the best-because at the end of the day, teams gotta be in shape,” Giannis added. “So whoever is in the best shape and took care of themselves for these three-and-a-half months, four months that we wasn’t able to play, is gonna be in a better position than the other teams. “I want to be one of the best players to ever play the game,” he added. “I did the best job I could do trying to stay ready and trying to have my team ready for this journey that we’re about to go on to leave and play games. But as I said, whoever wants it more, whoever is mentally prepared for all this, what’s going on in Orlando, that’s the team that’s gonna come out on top.”