Milwaukee Bucks of America sensation, Giannis Adetokunbo (Antetokounmpo) says he deeply cherishes team’s winning start to the new season in USA’s National Basketball Association (NBA) league, megasportsarena.com reports.
The Nigerian-born Greece international, fondly called ‘The Greek Freak,’ admitted it was not easy for him and his teammates to shake off the glee of their title-conquering campaign of the previous term, but is happy they eventually scaled all odds.
In the wake of the encounter last weekend, Antetokounmpo hailed what he described as an emotional night and relished how the NBA champions began their title defence with a 127-104 win over Brooklyn Nets.
While Antetokounmpo shone for The Bucks, The Nets were forced to cope without point guard Kyrie Irving, who recently opened up on his decision to refuse the COVID-19 vaccine.
Friday’s other fixture saw Los Angeles Lakers go down 114-121 to Golden State Warriors, during which LeBron James racked up 34 points, and Antetokounmpo had every cause to relish The Bucks’ win.
The NBA Finals’ most valuable player ended the encounter with 32 points and 14 rebounds to his name against The Nets to kick off the league’s 75th anniversary season in perfect fashion for the holders.
Antetokounmpo, who led The Bucks to their first NBA title in 50 years last season, declared: “It was hard, we all were excited to get the rings, and seeing our banner.
“It’s kind of hard to balance that, to go from that excitement and emotional state to go and play a game. But I think we did a great job. We were able to focus on our gameplan and ourselves and get a win.”