UCLA Basketball: International NBA Superstar Paid Visit to John Wooden Center This Offseason

The path to greatness never stops for him.

The NBA season has officially begun, and one All-NBA talent prepared for another dominant campaign over at UCLA.

Milwaukee Bucks cornerstone Giannis Antetokounmpo was seen lifting weights on UCLA's campus earlier this offseason with multiple staff members watching his workout. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo is at #UCLA's John Wooden Center right now lifting weights in the main room where all the students lift. Can confirm he is in the middle of a solid chest-back day, he's hit the bench press and lateral pulldowns. He's surrounded by a handful of Bucks staff…

— Gavin Carlson (@GavinCarlson_) August 15, 2023

Drafted in 2013 outside of the lottery, the Greek sensation stole the hearts of many fans with his inspiring rags to riches story. 

Undersized and underwhelming in his rookie season Antetokounmpo has transformed both the mental and physical sides to his game to become arguably the NBA's greatest player today. 

A force on both sides of the ball, the two-way play style that the Greek Freak bullies opponents with has translated into dominance on the court. 

Winning the Most Improved Player in 2017, the timeline since that year and drastically improving his game has seen Antetokounmpo stack up one of the most impressive resumes in NBA history. 

The youngest member of the NBA's 75th anniversary team, Antetokounmpo also has back to back MVP awards in 2019 and 2020 and a simultaneous Defensive Player of the Year award in his 2nd MVP award year. 

Finishing top 3 in MVP voting for each of the past few seasons, the crowning achievement for the Greek Freak came in 2021 after leading the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA championship in 50 years. 

In a performance unseen since the days of prime Shaquille O'Neal, Antetokounmpo punished the Phoenix Suns with countless iconic moments and comeback from a 2-0 series deficit. 

Hoisting the Finals MVP trophy two years ago, two subsequent playoff exits in the second and first rounds to the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat in 2022 and 2023. 

Unwilling to rest for a second, Giannis was back in the lab and conducting at least one portion of his work in the house that Wooden built.