Giannis Antetokounmpo of ousted Bucks: 'There are no failures in ...
Star of NBA regular-season champs argues ‘there are good days and bad days’ but no disappointments in sports
Published Apr 27, 2023 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 2 minute read
Apr 26, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo after a 128-126 loss to the Miami Heat during game five of the 2023 NBA Playoffs at Fiserv Forum. Photo by Michael McLoone /USA TODAY Sports When a No. 1 seeded pro-sport playoff team gets bounced in the first round, is that a failure? A huge disappointment?
Worse, a choke job?
No way, says NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks. The Greek-Nigerian power forward late Wednesday night made a passionate, eloquent argument against those takes, shortly after a gutting overtime loss in Game 5 to the Miami Heat ended the Bucks’ season with a 4-1 series defeat.
Milwaukee finished the regular season with the top record in the NBA, 58-24 (.707), whereas Miami placed seventh in the Eastern Conference at 44-38 (.537).
“There are no failures in sports,” Antetokounmpo said.
Video of the 28-year-old’s politely stated but emphatic post-game argument went viral by early Thursday morning.
What lit Antetokounmpo? When Bucks beat writer Eric Nehm of TheAthletic.com asked him if Milwaukee’s season was a disappointment, Antetokounmpo nearly lost it, but quickly gained his composure, and began his heartfelt lecture by flipping it back onto Nehm and his journalism career.
“You asked me the same question last year, Eric. Do you get a promotion every year? No, right? So (when you don’t, is that) a failure, yes or no? Every year you work, you work toward something, toward a goal. Which is to get a promotion, to take care of your family. You work toward a goal. It is NOT a failure. It’s a step stool to success.”
Then Antetokounmpo directed his comments toward a general audience.
“Michael Jordan played for 15 years, won six championships. The other nine years were a failure? This is what you are telling me?
“There are no failures in sports. There are good days and bad days. Some days you are able to be successful, some days you are not. Some days it’s your turn, and some days it’s not your turn. You don’t always win. Some other people are going to win. And this year, somebody else is going to win.”
With some teams, though — oh, say, a certain NHL hockey team the previous 55 years — seems it’s annually not their turn. Just sayin’.
To his credit, Antetokounmpo apologized to Nehm for making it personal with him, in public, explaining, “I wasn’t in the right mind space to answer the question.”
The Bucks had won their opening-round series for four straight years, reaching the Eastern Conference finals twice, and capturing the NBA championship two seasons ago.
@JohnKryk
