In basketball, winning and losing both come with the territory. While losing can be frustrating, it’s just a part of the game. However, losing in the playoffs doesn’t necessarily make the entire season a failure. Giannis Antetokounmpo, a star player for the Milwaukee Bucks, knows this firsthand.
After experiencing success in the NBA Finals, he faced disappointment in last year’s Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Boston Celtics. This year, the Bucks’ championship hopes were crushed by the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the playoffs. Despite missing two games due to injury, Giannis and his team were unable to come out on top, ultimately losing the series 4-1.
“There’s no failure in sports. There’s good days, bad days, some days you are able to be successful, some days you are not, some days it is your turn, some days it’s not. That’s what sports is about. You don’t always win.”
Giannis clearly didn’t take kindly to being asked that question, and honestly I don’t blame him. Just like Charles Barkley said, a lot has to go your way in order to win a championship. Additionally, Barkley highlighted that there’s no telling how the scales would have tipped had Giannis played more than 11 minutes in Game 1, and not missed Games 2 & 3 on top of that.
“I understand why he was mad about the question. If he plays every game, it might have been a different series,” Barkley said.
I can see this being used a fuel for Giannis and the Bucks next season, for sure.
Experiencing failure is a natural part of growth and progress. It provides valuable opportunities to learn and improve, ultimately leading to success in various areas of life. However, basketball superstar Giannis seemed to react strongly to the idea of failure, perhaps recognizing that there are more significant priorities in life beyond the sport. Additionally, the interviewer may have benefited from varying their questioning, as repeating the same inquiry may have caused frustration.
“I understand why he was mad about the question. If he plays every game, it might have been a different series.”
-Chuck on Giannis' passionate postgame interview after the Bucks lost to the Heat pic.twitter.com/W5Kxymh3qI
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 27, 2023
Giannis is outstanding: “There’s no failure in sports. There’s good days, bad days, some days you are able to be successful, some days you are not, some days it is your turn, some days it’s not. That’s what sports is about. You don’t always win.” pic.twitter.com/aTnFpnGtdx
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 27, 2023
Great response @Giannis_An34 This response should be required viewing for every sports media member and sports journalism teacher and student. Headline seeking questions that look good in a tweet are what sports media has devolved to far too often. It’s also on @espn and @tnt… https://t.co/V1FZvUsC9i
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) April 27, 2023
It was a fair question. The Bucks were a 1 seed and are 2 years removed from winning a NBA title. The expectation was not for them to lose to an 8 seed in the first round. It wasn’t a gotcha question because frankly any team in the Bucks position would have been asked that.… https://t.co/BPqfqQ4oXC
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) April 27, 2023
