LeBron James' $28,000,000 ex-teammate defends his stance on Giannis Antetokounmpo after Milwaukee Bucks publicly call out media giants

Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks will likely finish in the Top 5 of the NBA MVP voting for the seventh consecutive season. Antetokounmpo remains one of the best players in the NBA, but a headline about him led to the Milwaukee Bucks calling out ESPN.

The media giants uploaded a video on YouTube last Friday, asking if "The Greek Freak is "washed" or past his prime already. For those unaware, Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game this season.

Milwaukee is set to finish fifth in the Eastern Conference and face the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs. Antetokounmpo is in his prime at just 30 years old and is likely to continue for years to come.

"Giannis is literally playing as well as he ever has," the Bucks tweeted.

ESPN's Kendrick Perkins, a former teammate of LeBron James, was caught in the crossfire since his name was attached to the video. Perkins quickly responded to the Milwaukee Bucks to explain and defend his stance that Antetokounmpo is the best player in the Bucks-Pacers series.

The $28 million worth (per Celebrity Net Worth), one-time NBA champion added that he's a huge fan of "The Greek Freak" and considers him the second-greatest power forward ever behind Tim Duncan. The only knock on Giannis since winning a championship in 2021 is that he has not been back to the NBA Finals, even a conference final.

The Bucks were dethroned by the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2022. They were upset by the No. 8 Miami Heat in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. The same thing happened last season when the Indiana Pacers knocked them off in Round 1 in the No. 3 vs. No. 6 matchup.

Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the first round last year due to a calf injury. He's still dealing with minor injuries heading into the playoffs, but he's far from being washed. However, the Bucks likely need to make it out of the first round to avoid the possibility of making their franchise player unhappy.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo needs to take over if Bucks want to beat Pacers

Giannis Antetokounmpo needs to take over if Bucks want to beat Pacers. (Photo: IMAGN)

The Milwaukee Bucks won't have home-court advantage in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers. However, they have the best player in the entire series in Giannis Antetokounmpo. He will need to play his best basketball since Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals to ensure a series win for Milwaukee.

The Bucks are at a disadvantage with Damian Lillard not yet cleared to return after his blood clot diagnosis. They have also been inconsistent under coach Doc Rivers this season and would likely have been a play-in team if it weren't for "The Greek Freak."