#76 Giannis

I don't really believe in free will when it comes to sports fandom. I've always had the opinion that you should be required to root for the teams in the area where you grew up. There are a couple exceptions. If you don't really have local teams, then you get a choice. So, for example, Wisconsin has no NHL team, so I've chosen to be a Winnipeg Jets fan. I'll also allow for family loyalty. So if you grew up in, say, southern California but your grandpa was a diehard Kansas City Royals fan, you can be a Royals fan. Otherwise, none of this bandwagon nonsense. Being a fan means putting up with the bad until the good comes around.

So, as a Wisconsinite, I was born a Milwaukee Bucks fan. For most of my life, being a Bucks fan hasn't been much to write home about. Sure, we had young Ray Allen, and we came one game short of making the Finals in 2001. But otherwise, there weren't star players or deep playoff runs. The Bucks had a solid run of mediocrity.

Then, in 2013 the Bucks drafted a kid named Giannis Antetokounmpo. Nobody I knew had any real knowledge of this guy. He was still growing into the game and his body. But Giannis had a magnetic personality, and there were flashes of brilliance that became more and more frequent. He may have been new to Milwaukee and the U.S. in general, but Giannis was our boy. In 2015-16, he took over ball-handling responsibilities and regularly made some magic. The hype really started building last year, when our boy led the team in points, assists, rebounds, blocks, and steals. Oh, and he became the only player ever to finish in the top 20 in the league in each of those categories in a single season. Suddenly the Bucks had a bona fide star: Giannis started All-Star Game and won the league's Most Improved Player award. This year Giannis has made another leap forward, becoming a legitimate MVP candidate.

But Giannis' most impressive achievement is making it fun to be a Bucks fan. We're still waiting on a deep playoff run, but Bucks fans have been buzzing for a couple seasons now. Giannis could easily be the best player the Bucks have in my lifetime; we're going to enjoy each and every game we have with him. And it's hard not to be excited when he does things like this:

And this:

These highlights just make me so happy. It feels like he's playing NBA Jam in real life. Giannis, please don't ever leave Milwaukee.

Grace and peace,
BMH