And finally, the NBA’s most scrutinized superstar had been vindicated. It wasn’t just about Antetokounmpo, but it’s indisputable that none of this would have been possible without him. And this is for my significant other (his longtime girlfriend and mother of their 18-month-old son, Liam, Mariah Riddlesprigger) also.” ![]() This is for my dad (who died of a heart attack at the age of 53 in September 2017) that he’s watching from above and he can see it. My mom, she worked extremely hard every day for me to be in this position and she never pressured me to do other things. In order for me to be in this position, how much my parents sacrificed. Now I’m here, sitting at the top of the top. Eight years ago, eight and a half years ago, when I came to the league, I didn’t know where my next meal will come from. “I hope I give people around the world, from Africa, from Europe, hope that it can be done. Basketball, which wasn’t part of his life until he was a 13-year-old in 2007, brought them all to this point. He had inserted the word “tinkle” into the lexicon of G-rated potty language.īut it wasn’t until this job was done that he pulled the curtain back on his remarkable personal story, discussing his mother, Veronica, his late father, Charles, his four brothers, and how they used to sell merchandise on the streets of Greece to make ends meet. His speech about pride, ego and the power of humility had gone viral. The remnants of that competitive approach were there after Game 6, too, as Antetokounmpo - clearly experiencing serious discomfort yet again - held his stomach and chugged bottles of Gatorade while making his way between interview stations.Īfter all those years of Antetokounmpo being so reserved with the media - especially anyone who wasn’t based in Milwaukee or thereabouts - he had opened up during these Finals in the kind of way that resonated with the masses. ![]() In between, sources say he was extremely sick to his stomach from dehydration and even received fluid IV treatment after his 32-point, nine-rebound, six-assist performance. When Antetokounmpo had come to his postgame press conference after Game 5, he sat with a grimace and said, “I can’t,” before leaving the room and returning more than 30 minutes later. He joked with the trophies that they shouldn’t be envious as he kissed on one while ignoring the other.Īmid all the pleasure, there was lingering pain. His stunning 17-of-19 performance from the line, truth be told, was the difference in the game. He entered the press conference of coach Mike Budenholzer, then stole the show by pacing in the back - trophies, stogies, and champagne somehow all in hand - and practicing his free throw stroke. Not in the slightest.Īntetokounmpo’s celebration was joy defined. “Party,” Antetokounmpo said with a laugh as he sat upon that news conference podium with both the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy and the Bill Russell Finals MVP Trophy. But when the number finally got down to ‘0,’ with Antetokounmpo’s 50-point, 14-rebound outing forever placing him in the company of greats in the Bucks’ 105-98 win, it was time to do something different yet again. Holiday, whose 27-point, 13-assist outing in Game 5 against the Suns set the stage for the finale, was the chosen one for No. If they were going to do this together, then they should, well, do this together. More than ever before, there was a we-over-me mentality that permeated their special group. With every win, a different teammate - rather than Antetokounmpo - would be given the honor of writing the new number. But this time around, through that revenge matchup against Miami, the nail-biter against Brooklyn, the Atlanta series that his teammates finished without him and the Suns showdown in which his greatness came to the fore in the form of a historic Finals performance, Antetokounmpo decided to do it differently.
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