Former NBA Superstar Suggests Giannis Antetokounmpo Has Lost Leverage In East

Shandel Richardson | Aug 24, 2024

Aug 6, 2024; Paris, France; Greece small forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts after their loss against Germany during a menís basketball quarterfinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounpo has won regular season MVP twice in his career.

He also has a championship and is considered one of the best players in the NBA right now. But has his window closed? Did he do enough in that time?

At least one former superstar thinks Antetokounmpo has already fallen from the top of his perch. Kevin Garnett, who won a title with the Boston Celtics in 2008, dropped Antetokounmpo from his top three list of players ... in the Eastern Conference.

"He’s probably like the, what, fourth-best player over there?” Garnett said on the Ticket & Truth podcast. “I mean, fourth-best player in the East?”

Even though Antetokounmpo has a similar resume as the rest of the stars in the East, Garnett continued to downplay his accomplishments. Garnett placed Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum ahead of Antetokounmpo.

Embiid has one MVP award but zero championships. Tatum has no MVPs but won his first title this season. He faced a road through the playoffs that some called an easy.

“You can’t say that with Embiid over there,” Garnett said. “… And with Jayson Tatum up there.”

It would be hard for many say Antetokounmpo is out of the top three but he hasn't accomplished much the past few seasons. He lost to the Miami Heat in the first round in 2023 while also not making it far in the postseason last year despite the acquisition of Damian Lillard.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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