Let NBA stars tell you how great Giannis Antetokounmpo can be

It’s Giannis szn and we’re all here for it.

One of the biggest storylines from the first few days of the NBA season hasn’t been LeBron James or the Cavaliers. It isn’t even Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and the Warriors. Aside from how the Celtics are dealing with Gordon Hayward’s injury, it’s been all about Giannis Antetokounmpo and how far and fast his star is climbing.

Antetokounmpo burst onto the national scene last season after being voted in by fans as an All-Star starter and he hasn’t looked back. At just 22 years old, Antetokounmpo is transforming the way the game is played once again.

He’s the new wave. He’s continued to impress people over the last year and change, including us here. We ranked him as the second best player in the world in our 2021 future rankings. It’s no longer a secret that he’s great.

But it isn’t only the national media and the fans who have heaped praise on the Bucks’ superstar. His peers, those he has played with and has gone against, are also acknowledging how great he is — even before we did in some cases. Here they are.

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Kevin Durant says Antetokounmpo could be the GOAT

Yes, you read that correctly. If your reaction was, “Wait, what?” you’re not alone. Durant praising Antetokounmpo as one of the best players in the league today is something we’d expect. But he believes he could potentially be the greatest player of all time. He’s never seen a player like Antetokounmpo in his life.

“The Greek Freak, I think, is a force. I've never seen anything like him,” Durant said. “His ceiling is probably ... he could end up being the best player to ever play if he really wanted to. That's pretty scary to think about. He's by far my most favorite player to watch.”

This ain’t the first time KD has had great things to say about Antetokounmpo, either. Earlier this year at the NBA Awards ceremony, Durant “guaranteed” an MVP trophy in Antetokounmpo’s future.

"Congrats on MIP, this dude is a specimen that we've never seen before and it's guaranteed that he will be an MVP one day! In fact, I called out this year’s MVP years ago so you gotta respect my knowledge for the game lol," Durant said.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers praise Giannis’ growth

Leading up to their first matchup of the 2017-18 NBA season, James had pretty high praise for the budding superstar himself. (Via Cavs)

“He’s just getting better....he’s getting better. He’s taken the opportunity of actually playing the game and learning the game and he’s gotten better every single season. I think J Kidd has done a great job of putting him in position to be successful as well but he’s put in the work, as you can tell.”

Dwyane Wade added on, calling Antetokounmpo “dynamic.”

“Last year you could see it. You could see him and Jabari last season, before Jabari got hurt, they were just dynamic. And he’s continued that, so. You can tell, like he said, he’s got that mentality of how great he can be. ‘Maybe I will be MVP,’ that’s the mentality right there that not many can have.”

So far, that’s three surefire Hall of Famers calling Antetokounmpo great. Do you need more proof?

The Celtics praise Antetokounmpo

For the Bucks’ opening night, Antetokounmpo single-handedly dominated the Boston Celtics with 37 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists. He was so good, Brad Stevens acknowledged the fact that he was a MVP candidate after just one game.

A few nights later, when asked what it would be like going up against Markelle Fultz and the 76ers, Jayson Tatum referred to Antetokounmpo and LeBron James in the same breath.

Sheesh. Sorry, Fultz, but it’s true.

Kobe Bryant challenges Antetokounmpo to win MVP this season

The praise hadn’t just started this season, either. It’s been around for a while.

Toward the end of last summer Bryant issued challenges out to his former peers and athletes to achieve their best at the highest levels of competition. Antetokounmpo didn’t get one initially, but he reached out to Bryant directly via Twitter to get one.

A few days later? Challenge issued.

Bryant has high expectations for Antetokounmpo. Two seasons ago in 2016 when Bryant was on his retirement tour, he described Antetokounmpo as “unbelievable.” He added that he believes he has the potential to be a great player.

"I said listen man, it's just a choice you're going to have to make. If you want to be that great player, then you're going to have to make certain sacrifices and go after it. He has the potential to do it. He has the physical tools, the intelligence. Now it's just a matter of believing in himself and going after it. He has the talent to be a great player,” Bryant said.

Allen Iverson says he’s a fan

Iverson is one of the greatest legends in NBA history. He’s legendary. Earning a co-sign from him is like earning a co-sign from Jay-Z or Nas for an up-and-coming artist.

Well, Antetokounmpo has one.

“Keep doing what you’re doing, man. I love it, bro. Keep making a dude proud,” Iverson, one of Antetokounmpo’s childhood heroes, told the Bucks’ superstar earlier this year in March.

Gregg Popovich is, too

It’s hard to get Pop to come out of his shell for, pretty much, anything. But when asked about Antetokounmpo’s Player of the Week award in December of last season, Popovich had nothing but praise and appreciation for how far the Bucks’ do-it-all forward had come.

"He's still a very young man and learning a lot about what he can add to his game. That's what he's been doing. Each summer he adds to his game. He's not just an athlete anymore; he's not just a phenomenon with his length and athleticism. He's learned how to play the game. He's learned about time and score; he's learned how to play with his teammates,” Popovich said.

Reggie Evans is just shocked he’s this young.

The video says it all.

Yeah, we feel you, Evans.

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Alright, let’s count — that’s four future Hall of Famers, one current Hall of Famer, one future Hall of Fame coach, one of the top coaches in the league today, one of the best rookies in the league and a cult hero all aboard the Antetokounmpo express.

You should be, too. If you’re not, now is a great time to ask yourself why before it’s too late.