GREGORY SHAMUS/NBAE VIA GETTY IMAGESNOYZ>>Thanks to everyone at the NBA who always helps us throughout the season, especial-
ly Mark, Jaralai and Kelly...Another thank you to everyone who helped make the 2019 SLAM Draft
Suite presented by AT&T a success: the players who showed up, and their agents and families
and the sponsors (AT&T, Levi’s, Stance, Bose/137PM and Dos Toros) who helped bring it to life....5.9 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks a
game. Those are, indeed, MVP-quality
stats. And there is nothing the Freak can’t
do offensively on the floor, except maybe
shoot threes with the best, and his
defense is spectacular. Indeed, because of
Antetokounmpo, the Bucks had the best
defensive team in the League. That they
didn’t make it past the playoff semifinals
was the main reason I figured somebody
else would win the MVP crown. But Durant
got injured, Curry was up and down, and
Leonard was a superstar in the Finals, but
maybe not so dominant in the regular
season. Harden? I guess voters just aren’t
thrilled with his game.
The 6-11 Antetokounmpo is not only
the owner of the hardest-to-pronounce
MVP winner’s name in League history, he’s
also possessor of one of the most
spectacularly gifted basketball bodies of
all time. To begin with, the young man—
just 24—who was born and raised in
Athens by his Nigerian parents, has a
wingspan of 7-3, four inches wider than he
is tall. He also has hands the size of
medium-to-large pizzas. His mitts are an
even 12 inches from thumb to pinkie tip.
ESPN The Magazine ran an analytics
issue several years ago, and they singled
out Antetokounmpo for numerous
physical traits, one of which was his hand
size. There was a life-sized photo of his
left hand filling almost one and a half
pages of the magazine. I’ve always felt I
have pretty big hands for a regular dude—I
can palm a basketball fairly easily, or at
least I could before I broke my thumbs at
different times playing sports. But I put
my hand on the massive paw of Antetok-
ounmpo’s—heel of hand to heel of
hand—and his middle finger was a full
three and a half inches above mine. My
God, the guy could palm an earth ball.
He also has eight percent body fat and
the longest Achilles tendons—assists for
explosive movements and jumping—the
Bucks have ever measured.
But all that would be meaningless if
the guy wasn’t talented, dedicated, hun-
gry, and smart. Which he is. Plus, he’s
a decent fellow, generous and outgo-
ing with fans. Whether he’ll stay with the
Bucks when he becomes a gazillionaire
free agent in two years is anybody’s guess.
But for now...well, as they say in your na-
tive tongue:
Giannis: Opa!Because of Antetokounmpo,
the Bucks had the best defensive
team in the League.
12 SLAMONLINE.COM