Last season, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s midrange jumper was nothing short of elite. Following the All-Star break, Antetokounmpo’s midrange numbers stood alongside midrange magicians such as Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Now, as he looks to take his game to the next level in pursuit of his second NBA title, Antetokounmpo has cited Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony as the one player he’d like to learn from.
During a Greek-speaking interview with Sport24 this week, Antetokounmpo opened up on the situation:
“I don’t like working with players who are playing right now. … With LeBron, for example. I could work with LeBron, but he’s still playing. I’ll see him in a month or two, and he’ll be my opponent. I like working with players who are retired. I think the next one is Carmelo Anthony. If I could work with Carmelo Anthony, I would love to.
“Mid-range, face jump. In other words, the game was very effortless. Very easy. It’s relaxed.”
This, of course, isn’t the first time that Giannis Antetokounmpo has put in work with an NBA legend.
Looking Back at Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Offseason Workouts With Kobe Bryant Before First MVP Season
Prior to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s first MVP season in 2019, The Greek Freak went to train with a recently retired Kobe Bryant in the offseason.
During a 2019 interview with The Athletic, Bryant reflected on Antetokounmpo’s studious approach to the game:
“Giannis came to work out with me this summer and he showed up one-and-a-half hours early. We talked for 20 minutes before we worked out and he whips out a notepad. What the … he starts taking down notes. ‘What about the footwork here? What about the coverage here?’ And he’s writing them down.
“After practice same thing; he sits down, and we talked for like an hour. We talked about coverages and defensive match-ups that gave him problems. He just sat there and took notes. And he studied and studied so I’m not surprised at what he’s doing. He just has the mentality of he’s just getting better all the time. He’s just scratching the surface.”
At the time, Antetokounmpo was leading the MVP race. Months later, he was named MVP for the first time in his career, an honor he would win again the following season.
Looking Back at Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Offseason Workouts With Hakeem Olajuwon
After winning two MVP awards, and ending the Bucks’ championship drought, Giannis planned a trip down to Houston, Texas to get some offseason work in with Hakeem Olajuwon prior to the 2023-24 season.
As he explained on the 48 Minutes podcast before the trip:
“This season for the training camp I have a trip that I’m going to go down to Houston and try to work out with Hakeem Olajuwon. I love his game and if I can kind of take a few things from his game or learn anything from the few days I’m going to spend with him it’s going to be a blessing.”
After the offseason workouts, Giannis Antetokounmpo showed a photo of the two training together, thanking the Hall of Famer for his time.
Considering Antetokounmpo’s midrange jumper was among the best in the NBA last year, training with Carmelo Anthony could help him elevate his game to the next level.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Giannis Antetokounmpo Names One NBA Legend He Wants to Learn From appeared first on Heavy Sports.