“He’s not a failure as a player, but is it a failure as a season? I would say yes” - Shaquille O'Neal gives his take on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks’ campaign this season

Giannis Antetokounmpo was certainly not a failure this season.

Matthew Dugandzic | Apr 27, 2023

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Milwaukee Bucks

Giannis Antetokounmpo adamantly shot down notions that this season was a failure for the Milwaukee Bucks after their unceremonious exit in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Antetokounmpo seemingly lost his cool when a reporter asked if this season was a failure after the Bucks were booted out by the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

"There's no failure in sports," Antetokounmpo said. "There are good days, bad days. Some days you're able to be successful. Some days you're not. Some days it's your turn. Some days it's not your turn. That's what sports is about. You don't always win."

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The Greek Freak went on to say that the reporter asked the wrong question.

No championship is a failure

But anything less than a championship is a failure for an NBA great.

"I think like everybody else, you know when I didn't win, I was very hard on myself; you know he (Antetokounmpo) missed a lot of free throws. We talked about that before, we talked about how his team shot, so when he's a great player, and they expect you to win and you don't win, in my mind, it is a failure," said Shaquille O'Neal during the post-game show of Inside the NBA.

Shaq said he considered the 15 seasons that he didn't win a championship a failure.

"I played 19 seasons and failed 15 seasons; when I didn't win it, it was a failure, especially when I made it to the finals versus the (Houston) Rockets and lost, made it to the finals for the fourth time with the (Los Angeles) Lakers and lost, it was definitely a failure," said O'Neal.

Giannis was not a failure

O'Neal said the superstars whom he looked up to have set the bar so high that falling short of winning a championship is a failure.

"I can't tell everybody how they think, but when I watch guys before me, the Birds, the Kareems, and you know that's how they thought, so that's how I was raised," said the one-time MVP O'Neal.

The Big Diesel was quick to point out that the Bucks may have failed to win it all, but individually, Giannis was not a failure this season.

While he disagreed with Antetokounmpo's assessment of the Bucks' campaign this season, Shaq also had no issue with Giannis' stand.

"He's not a failure as a player, but is it a failure as a season? I would say yes, but I also like his explanation. I can understand and respect his explanation, but for me, when we didn't win it, it was always my fault, and it was definitely a failure," said the four-time NBA champion.

Published Apr 27, 2023

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.