Giannis Antetokounmpo says he'd rather focus on the journey than setting records

Giannis has his priorities straight.

© Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo polished his resume by adding another franchise record to it after breaking the all-time rebounding mark of 7,161 previously held by Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Despite the accomplishment, the Bucks star says he'd rather focus on the journey than obsess over individual records.

Just wants to be the best player he can be

Giannis already has his name etched in Milwaukee Bucks history, but he insists that his main focus is helping the team win NBA titles and pushing himself to be the best player he can be.

"I'll be very honest with you. Sometimes, you get caught in this world of records, the social media, this guy did this, you're doing this, and the rankings and all that. I feel like when I try to do that, I am not the best basketball player I can be. I am not the best teammate I can be. I am not the best person I can be," Antetokounmpo explained regarding his approach to personal accomplishments.

"So I try to, as much as I can, focus on the journey. Focus on the journey as much as I can and how, in the next game, I can be healthy, I can be available to help my teammates."

Giannis is 1 of 4 players to lead a team in PTS, REB, AST joining LeBron, MJ, and Kevin Garnett 😤

(h/t: @NBAHistory) pic.twitter.com/i47Vc5TJnD

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 18, 2023

Focus on the details of the journey

Not to say records don't mean much to Giannis because they do; after all, he has put in a lot of work to transform himself from a raw youngster from Greece to becoming an all-time NBA great. However, he chooses not to train his focus on all those records that have yet to be broken, as he says it deviates his attention from the tasks that matter more.

"Now, down the road, do I believe one day I might be top-ten in scoring? Maybe, yeah. Or in rebounding? Maybe, yeah. I don't know what the future has in store for me, but at the end of the day, I try to focus as much as I can on the journey because once you focus on all those little things, they're gonna eat you up. They're gonna eat you alive," Giannis continued.

The all-time Bucks leader in boards.

Congrats, Giannis! pic.twitter.com/w010u7Ynib

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) December 18, 2023

Giannis Antetokounmpo becomes the Milwaukee Bucks' all-time leader in rebounds