“If you don’t like Giannis Antetokounmpo, you don’t like basketball” - Stephen A. Smith reacts to a fan saying Giannis Antetokounmpo should be out of the NBA, says it’s blasphemy

Giannis Antetokounmpo was mentioned by a fan from Greece on Friday but not in a way one might think. The fan, Alex, talked about his distaste towards Giannis and how he is boring to watch. Stephen A. Smith fired back at the fan during Friday’s episode of “Stephen A.’s World.”

Fan from Greece says Giannis Antetokounmpo should be out of the NBA

Smith said:

“If you don’t like Giannis Antetokounmpo, you don’t like basketball. But it goes another level with y’all, Alex. I mean you’re Greek! You’re from Greece! And you’re talking about getting him out of the NBA? That’s blasphemy.”

In the video clip of Alex giving his opinion on Antetokounmpo, which Smith showed, Alex said:

“I hate to watch him play. He’s boring. It’s boring. Giannis Antetokounmpo represents everything I hate about European basketball, which is why I never watch anything other than the NBA. … I wrote a letter to Adam (Silver), the commissioner, and said, ‘Please, just take him out of the NBA. This guy’ll ruin it.’ … It’s boring as hell.”

Antetokounmpo is one of basketball's most decorated players.

The 27-year-old from Greece won back-to-back MVP awards in 2019 and 2020. In doing so, he joined only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only NBA players with two MVP awards before turning 26. In 2020, he also won NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, joining Michael Jordan (1988) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1994) to win both awards in the same season.

Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA championship last year. He averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game as the Bucks won in six games after falling behind 2-0. Statistics like these for an NBA Finals performance are far beyond “boring.”

Antetokounmpo is playing this season like he plans to keep his crown. He has been in the MVP conversation all season, averaging 29.7 ppg, 11.6 rpg and 5.8 apg. Giannis is currently third in scoring average, behind only LeBron James (30,0 ppg) and Joel Embiid (29.8 ppg).

With all he has accomplished, Antetokounmpo has proved he is anything but boring. His dunks are always hard and fast slams, a notable force that has become his signature. There are few who can slam the ball like he can. Not to mention watching him Euro-step through the key, sifting through the defense with ease.

Antetokounmpo has had clutch shots, blocks and rebounds, all with flair and aggression. There is a reason why he as been dubbed “The Greek Freak”.

Smith said:

“Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most exciting players in the NBA. The jump shot is ugly, I’ll give you that. But he attacks with fervor. He will dunk it on somebody’s face. For the last five years, he has averaged a minimum of 27 points and 10 rebounds a game. And shooting 53%, 57%, 55%, 57%, 55% from the field in that span.”

There is no question that Giannis is not only a dominant player but also an entertaining one. Alex, the fan from Greece, said Giannis only has one dunk in his arsenal. However, there is far more to Antetokounmpo’s game than one single move at the rim.

The Bucks (46-27) are second in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the Miami Heat (47-26). Their next matchup is against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.