Giannis Antetokounmpo regrets missing a highlight dunk over Daniel Gafford

Giannis really wanted this dunk to make it into his career highlight reel.

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

For all the hype surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo and all the buckets he got in his career-high 55-point performance on Tuesday against the Washington Wizards, the Greek Freak spent time lamenting a missed shot that certainly would have been a cherry on top of the Milwaukee Bucks star’s impressive night.

Punctuation mark

For all intents and purposes, the play in question happened with the game all but over in the Bucks' favor. Already ahead by 12, with the score being 116-104, and with just a little over two minutes to go, Antetokounmpo attempted a dunk over Washington center Daniel Gafford, only to have the ball pop out of the rim.

The missed opportunity was clearly on Antetokounmpo’s mind postgame.

“I got too excited,” he said. “Got my significant other, she’s telling me they don’t post you on what’s this called, House of Highlight, anymore, because you don’t dunk the ball. You don’t get as high as the young fellas. I said, 'yeah it’s not the same, I’ve been here for a decade now. The legs are gone. I don’t have legs to get that high.'”

Antetokounmpo jokingly admitted he wanted to get that one if only to prove he still has a lot of hops.

"I really wanted to finish that dunk. I think I got excited, and I went too high than what I usually jump. Usually, I don’t jump, I just stretch my hands to get there, but that one, I actually took off and I got excited and I missed. If I could turn the time back, I hope I could have made that dunk," the Bucks superstar added.

Aerial assault

As much as that miss stung for Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP can take solace in the fact that he was still able to impress with his athleticism. The 6-foot-11 forward had a few other highlights, including a ridiculous windmill dunk late in the first quarter.

Antetokounmpo is only 28 years old, but he’s already established himself as one of the best dunkers in NBA history. With more aerial shows likely to come in his career, it is easy to forget a miss here and there. But for now, Antetokounmpo can only think of what could have been against Gafford. As his play and stature continue to grow, the missed dunk will surely be a forgotten footnote in a book full of amazing highlights.