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“I was proud of him, actually. Very proud of him” - Former Milwaukee assistant Darvin Ham defends Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 'There is no failure in sports' stand

Darvin Ham got Giannis’ back.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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The Milwaukee Bucks became the talk of the town after their stunning exit in just the first round of the playoffs.

The surprising elimination became a hotter topic when the superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo vehemently refused to accept notions that the Bucks' season was a failure for failing to reach deep in the playoffs despite a strong showing in the regular season.

But a familiar face in the Milwaukee organization came to Giannis' defense and even admired how the Greek Freak handled himself in an animated exchange with a reporter who asked him how he would assess the Bucks' season after losing their best-of-seven series with the Miami Heat.

A class act

To recall, Giannis was asked if he viewed the Bucks' season as a failure following their elimination.

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said fielding such a question wasn't easy, but Giannis proved to be "a total class act" when he addressed it.

"And he's just being who he really is in that way. A total class act. Some guys would be irritated by that question. And he does look concerned. But the answer he gave was just who he is," said Ham, who was asked to comment on Giannis' response before the Lakers took on the Memphis Grizzlies for Game 6 of their best-of-seven series on Friday night.

In a lengthy response, Giannis said what the Bucks went through this season was not a failure but "a step towards success."

Proud of Giannis

In the first place, according to Antetokounmpo, there is no failure in sports, as he went on to admonish that the reporter asked the wrong question.

Ham, a former assistant in Milwaukee, agreed with Giannis' point of view.

"Success is a step-by-step process. Nothing happens overnight. We have a saying, 'Adherence to the daily process leads to progress.' He's all about that. And I was proud of him, actually. Very proud of him," Ham said.

Giannis may have appeared to have lost his cool during the post-game media interview, but Ham, the two-time MVP, could not have handled the situation any better.

"He comes from a great family, a great support system. He's been great for that city, great for the league, great for basketball all over the world. So it doesn't surprise me that he handled that the way he did," Ham concluded.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.