Stephen A. Smith Doesn't Hesitate on Brutal Take About Giannis Antetokounmpo
Stephen A. Smith Doesn't Hesitate on Brutal Take About Giannis Antetokounmpo originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has made his hunger for another title perfectly clear. While many sources interpreted this as a desire to be traded, he has since clarified that he wants to win it with the Milwaukee Bucks.
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He was in title-winning form until the very end. But, Damian Lillard's injury and other problems in the offense ended his playoff run early against the Indiana Pacers. Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points with 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists last season.
However, Stephen A. Smith expressed during ESPN's "First Take" that he will consider Antetokounmpo an "underachiever" if he doesn't win another title.
"He's one of the greatest players to ever play the game," He explained his take. "Over the last four years, minimum 200 games, Giannis second in the league, 30.4 points per game. Fifth in the league, 11.7 rebounds per game."
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is chasing another ring, but will that be with the Bucks?© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
"Fifth among qualifiers at 58% from the field. And nine All-NBA selections in his career. Nine All-Star selections. And top ten finishes in league MVP voting nine times. And he does, and he has more of that than post-season series wins. That's unacceptable." He said.
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Smith then clarifies that he isn't blaming Antetokounmpo for it. He just believes that Antetokounmpo deserves more for a man of his calibre.
"It's not his fault. I'm not in any way pointing to him or what he's not doing." He clarified. I'm saying that you don't look at somebody that dominant, that fantastic, with that kind of fire in his belly to compete on a night-in, night-out basis, and all you have is one championship to show for it."
Smith expects to see another ring on his finger and so do his fans. It was a major heartbreak for the Bucks fandom to see Antetokounmpo perform his absolute best and still lose to the Pacers. But the man himself is ready to start next season.
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Related: Giannis Antetokounmpo Sends Message on Angel Reese, Ariel Atkins
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 13, 2025, where it first appeared.
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