While Giannis is the youngest player on the list, he is also one of the very few international players among the ranks of the 75 greatest NBA players. Finding himself alongside fellow European athlete Dirk Nowitzki, the 27-year old shared his sentiments on sitting next to the Dallas Mavericks legend.
Dirk Nowitzki was one of the premier European athletes of his generation. Playing an influential role in promoting the influx of talent from Europe to the NBA, modern day stars such as Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic find themselves enjoying the benefits of his contributions.
Giannis Antetokounmpo also represented Africa while discussing Dirk’s influence on the sport. Being of Nigerian origin himself, Giannis credited Hakeem Olajuwon as the torch-bearer for African basketball players.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s influence on the international scale
The game of basketball has long been dominated by the United States of America. Considering the advent and development of the NBA happening in the States, the influx of international players was a relatively recent event.
However, as things stand, the league’s finest feature a large body of international players among their ranks. Names such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic are commonplace when talking about the best in the game.
In this regard, past players such as Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol have been extremely influential. However, players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic are representatives of the potential international players possess.
Dominating on basketball’s biggest stage, the likes of Jokic and Antetokounmpo have been the NBA’s MVP winners over the last three seasons. With the current narrative seeing a majority of international players in the race for the MVP award, Antetokounmpo is a bigger influence on the international scale as he won the NBA Championship and the Finals MVP awards.
As his Milwaukee Bucks gear up to repeat their success from the previous season, Antetokounmpo will attempt to continue his dominant performance. The Bucks will resume regular-season action against the Brooklyn Nets on February 26th.
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