We could see the Antetokounmpo brothers in their first NBA meeting Monday
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo has always done his best to keep up with what’s happening around the NBA. It’s important to keep an eye on the league’s other top players and keep tabs on what teams are doing.
This season, though, he’s taken a special interest in the Dallas Mavericks. He follows them on Instagram and has retweeted some of their content, including highlights from their G League team, the Texas Legends.
All that attention stems from the fact that his younger brother, Kostas, landed a two-way contract with the Mavericks after being taken with the final pick of this past summer’s NBA draft. After a season mostly spent in the G League – he has yet to take the floor for Dallas this season – Kostas, who went to Dominican High School in Whitefish Bay, is on the Mavericks’ two-game road trip with a stop in Indiana on Saturday before taking on the Bucks at 1 p.m. Monday at Fiserv Forum.
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“I’m really excited,” Giannis said. “He’s my brother, my little brother. He’s going to be in Milwaukee ... and it’s going to be fun to have him around; he hasn’t seen my mom for a while now. … I think this is a good opportunity to show what he’s capable of. Hopefully in the game on Monday I can have some minutes against him.”
While most of his focus is understandably on the progress of his brother, the elder Antetokounmpo has also taken notice of the exploits of another Mavs rookie. Luka Doncic, a 19-year-old point forward from Slovenia, has taken the league by storm, averaging 20.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.
Doncic is already one of the game’s most popular players, garnering the third-most all-star votes as of Thursday’s update, trailing only LeBron James and Antetokounmpo.
“He’s so smart, he can find the open guy at any time, he can create for himself,” Antetokounmpo said. “He’s playing amazing. I know he’s going to keep getting better and the sky’s the limit for him.”
Special day
On Wednesday, the Bucks’ only day in Memphis, Milwaukee guard Malcolm Brogdon spent part of his afternoon at the National Civil Rights Museum, which is housed at the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968.
Monday’s matinee game between the Bucks and Mavericks comes on the holiday that celebrates King’s life, which will be marked by tributes during games around the NBA.
“It’s always breathtaking to learn and relearn about Dr. King and people like Malcolm X that really sacrificed for us today,” Brogdon said of his visit to the museum. “It’s a privilege to be able to play on MLK Day and celebrate his legacy.”
Biding his time
Bucks forward Christian Wood hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since Dec. 5. In fact, he’s only been active for one of Milwaukee’s 22 games since coming in for mop-up minutes late in that blowout win over the Detroit Pistons.
Instead, Wood has spent most of his time in the G League, putting up massive numbers with the Wisconsin Herd. His performance Saturday was especially impressive as he finished with 34 points, 23 rebounds and three blocks in just 26 minutes in a 109-105 win for the Herd.
After the game, Wood took to Twitter where he gave everyone a glimpse into his mentality.
“Talk to coach bud before he sent me down he told me to stay focused my time is going to come so I’m gonna KILL everyone until then,” Wood tweeted.