11/28/2021
Loved this recent video of Giannis Antetokounmpo talking about learning that Oreos go well with milk!
https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1463752750018314242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1463752750018314242%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnba.nbcsports.com%2F2021%2F11%2F25%2Fgiannis-antetokounmpo-talks-for-two-minutes-about-his-love-of-oreos%2F
Which reminds me...
Giannis is an interesting player and personality. He comes from a very unusual background for an NBA MVP and Champion...he grew up in Greece with African parents (so being less fluent with Oreos is certainly understandable).
What isn't unusual is that many players his size (nearly 7 feet) struggle with free throws. Last year in the playoffs, he was really struggling, shooting less that 50%, which is a huge liability because it was becoming obvious that the easiest way for defenses to stop him was to foul him hard and often in order to make him shoot much more from the line than the field.
Additionally, he had gotten into a positive mental habit of taking his time to refocus on each free throw, but the crowd, aware that the NBA had put a time limit on free throw attempts, had upped the ante by counting in unison, making him aware of the seconds ticking by. “Of course, 20,000 people yelling, ‘One, two, three, four,’ you notice that,” Antetokounmpo said with a laugh following Game 1 of the Finals at Phoenix Suns Arena.
A huge turning point was when an opposing crowd was jeering him so much that he airballed (missed the basket completely) a few free throws, which is embarrassing for the player and encourages the crowd to keep jeering him.
The next day, video emerged from the teams next practice, which showed him laughing and joking about his misses. He showed the good nature that he does when talking about Oreos, and was able to right the ship, and lead his team to winning the championship. Here are some other quotes of his about his free throw shooting woes in the playoffs:
On the jeers and counting: “No, it hasn’t come to an end, and I think it’s something that’s going to follow me for the rest of my career,” Antetokounmpo said. “So, I’ve just got to embrace it and have fun with it.”
“I just try to do my routine,” Antetokounmpo said. “And part of my routine is breathing and catching my breath. I’m not saying nothing to nobody. Who should I say something to? The referee? Why don’t you pass me a second early, like I wanted the ball? That’s not who I am. That’s not me. I focus on what I’ve got to do. I focus on myself. I focus on the task. And if he gives me the ball one second earlier, I’ve just got to adjust and find a solution, how can I make the free throw?”
“I’ve learned to embrace it. Like, I know it’s not going to stop,” Antetokounmpo said. “You know, at the end of the day when it keeps going, like, it fades away. You know, there’s times that the first free throw I hear it, but the fifth one, sixth one, I’m not hearing no more and I’m just focusing on what I’ve got to do and my routine.”
Giannis on Oreos:
“Giannis is an expert at dunking basketballs, but new to the art of dunking Oreos in milk. 🥛 Hear him break down his first experience 🤣 https://t.co/eGNoffel5x”
