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Damian Lillard says Giannis Antetokounmpo breaking franchise records reflects the work he puts in

Giannis puts in a lot of work behind the scenes.

Jonas Panerio

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
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Milwaukee Bucks superstar Damian Lillard is not surprised by all the records his teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo is setting. While he used to be a distant observer before, he now sees first-hand the kind of effort Giannis puts into his game day in and day out, and the feats he's attaining every season reflect that.

Reward for the hard work

Lillard knew Antetokounmpo was good but didn't see how much work he put in until this season when he got traded to the Bucks. He now knows why the Greek Freak is so successful and has so much respect for him – both on and off the court.

On Sunday night, Giannis added another notch to his belt as he broke the franchise record for most career rebounds, previously held by all-time great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

"It just shows the kind of work that he puts into the game. You don't get rewarded the way he's been rewarded, and you don't reach these types of milestones without being true to the game and putting into it what he's put into it," Lillard remarked.

An honor to be Giannis' teammate

Lillard added that it's an absolute honor to be Antetokounmpo's teammate and see his teammate reap the fruits of his labor.

"Like I've been saying, it's an honor to be on the team with him. Everything that he's reaching right now, I've seen it from afar, and it makes perfect sense why he's leading points and rebounds, assists, blocks, and whatever else," Lillard shared.

On his end, Giannis approached his latest feat with humility, fully aware that, at some point, somebody else may come along and shatter all the records he's set.

"It's a big compliment. I don't think anybody assumed that the skinny kid from Greece that was drafted and supposed to play in the G-League would be in position to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record," Giannis said.

"I know for sure there's going to be someone who is going to come along in time and break all of the records that Kareem set, Oscar Robertson, Marques Johnson, myself, Khris (Middleton)."

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Jonas Panerio
JONAS PANERIO