Giannis on Sticking With the Bucks and Winning an NBA Title: ‘This is the Hard Way to Do It’
The 50-year drought is over.
Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks made history last night by becoming the NBA’s newest champions. Finishing Game 6 with an astounding stat line, Giannis finished with 50 points, 14 rebounds and 5 blocks, making his performance one of the first to ever happen during an NBA Finals.
After the game, an emotional Giannis went into detail about his journey, and why it was important to him that he re-signed with Milwaukee:
“I could go to a superteam … but this is the hard way to do it and this is the way to do it.”
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) July 21, 2021
Giannis spitting bars. 🗣 pic.twitter.com/Hz07RJyxSx
“Coming back, I was like, ‘This is my city. They trust me. They believe in me. They believe in us,'” he said, per ESPN. “Obviously I wanted to get the job done. But that’s my stubborn side. It’s easy to go somewhere and go win a championship with somebody else. It’s easy. I could go to a super team and just do my part and win a championship.
“But this is the hard way to do it and this is the way to do it, and we did it. We f—ing did it.”
While his free throw shooting caused major criticism, Giannis was clutch and shot 17-of-19 from the free-throw line. He had something to say about all of the backlash, too:
“People told me I cannot make free throws,” he added. “I made my free throws tonight and I’m a freaking champion…I made them when I’m supposed to make them.”
While his athletic dominance helped lead the Bucks to victory, Giannis also made sure to acknowledge that his teammates stepped up big as well. He gave a special shoutout to Khris Middleton—who was clutch in the Finals and posted 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in Game 6. Middleton has continued to prove to the world that he, too, is a star on the Bucks.
As the Bucks bring the LoB trophy back home with them, let the celebrations begin.
