Giannis Antetokounmpo is perhaps the most dominant force in the NBA since Shaquille O’Neal.
He stuffs the box score as well as any big ever. Giannis is just the second player to average 25-plus points, 10-plus rebounds and 5-plus assists in three separate seasons and is on his way to becoming the first player to accomplish the feat in four separate seasons.
Somehow, though, Antetokounmpo is still getting better. He is averaging career highs in rebounding, assists and blocks and ranks among the NBA’s top 10 in scoring, rebounds and blocks.
On Dec. 10, the Greek Freak broke the Bucks’ franchise record in blocks, passing Alton Lister (804). The record-breaking rejection got me curious how close Giannis is to a number of other Bucks all-time records. Turning just 27 years of age on Dec. 6, he is fast-approaching other franchise records.
He already holds the franchise records for blocks, defensive rebounds and triple doubles. In breaking other records, he will be knocking off Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Sidney Moncrief and other legendary Bucks.
Giannis with career block #805 ✋
He now holds the Bucks franchise record pic.twitter.com/ZAh2UGxD9B
— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) December 11, 2021
Antetokounmpo Soon to Shatter More Records
In a short span we will be seeing a lot more franchise records being Antetokounmpo’s.
Points: All-time leader: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 14,211.
Giannis is second all-time sitting at 13,022 points. With full health after his COVID-19 stint, he may become the Bucks’ all-time leading scorer before the end of the season. The Bucks have 49 games remaining– if he plays in them all, he has to average 24 points per game to break the record before season’s end. Over the last five seasons, the lowest Giannis has averaged is 26.9.
ETA to break record: Late this season or early next.
Assists: All-time leader: Paul Pressey, 3,272.
Points and rebounds are something everyone who watches the NBA sees Giannis wrack up, but Giannis is also a dynamic playmaker, particularly for someone his height. He is less than 500 assists from passing Pressey and should at least reach 3,000 dimes before the end of the season.
ETA to break record: Late 2022.
Games: All-time leader: Bob Dandridge, 711.
Giannis just pulled within 100 games of Bobby D and should be top three in games played in three weeks. On a side note, teammate Khris Middleton will be in the top five shortly as well.
ETA to break record: Late 2022.
Free throws made: Giannis draws a significant amount of fouls each night. He led the league in free-throw attempts last year and is currently leading this year. Giannis is less than 400 made free throws behind Sidney Moncrief (3,505).
ETA to break record: First 20 games next season.
Minutes played: All-time leader: Bob Dandridge, 22,094.
Giannis is currently in fourth behind Glenn Robinson (21,262), Sidney Moncrief (22,054) and Dandridge, but is closing in on being within 2,000 minutes of the record. He should break it around this time next year.
Other records
Giannis likely will go into 2023-24 with total rebounds and field goals still looming as records to break. Abdul-Jabbar, despite playing just six seasons in Milwaukee, was nearly unstoppable. He averaged over 30 points and 15 rebounds on 12.6 made field goals per game in Milwaukee, compiling 7,161 rebounds in that short span. Giannis likely doesn’t have the defensive-rebound record, as the rebounding statistics weren’t tracked offensively or defensively, just total until 1973-1974 (like blocks).
The same goes for blocks. In the first year blocks were tracked, — Abdul-Jabbar’s fifth in Milwaukee — he tallied a league-best 283 blocks (3.5 per game). He led the league in blocks per game the following year (3.3) and then led the NBA in blocks four of the next five years in Los Angeles. He likely tallied well over 1,000 blocks in Milwaukee.
With his 38th point, Giannis Antetokounmpo has passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the @Bucks franchise record for most points scored in an #NBAFinals game https://t.co/2cSfhBtyQZ pic.twitter.com/2rVngXQCyo
— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) July 9, 2021
Giannis’ legend only grows
Giannis delivered a title to Milwaukee for the first time in 50 years. Soon, he will own many statistical franchise individual records. After winning multiple MVP awards, Defensive Player of the Year, signing a max extension to remain with the Bucks, and delivering a title months later, he is already a legend.
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