Giannis Antetokounmpo Becomes Bucks’ All-Time Top Rebounder

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo once again cemented his place as one of the greatest players of the franchise.

Antetokounmpo grabbed seventeen rebounds in the game against the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. With his fourteenth board, he passed the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for first place on the Bucks’ all-time rebound list.

Giannis Antetokounmpo just became the all-time leading rebounder in Milwaukee Bucks franchise history passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 👏

Giannis now leads the Bucks in points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and games played.

(via @Bucks)pic.twitter.com/E1V8f1CHQm

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 18, 2023

Giannis currently has 7,165 rebounds in his career in the regular season and is now the leader in points, rebounds, and assists in franchise history, becoming only the fourth player to do it in NBA history. Previously, this honor only belonged to LeBron James (Cavaliers), Kevin Garnett (Timberwolves), and Michael Jordan (Bulls).

“It’s a big compliment”

Antetokounmpo finished the match with twenty-six points and seventeen rebounds.

“It’s a big compliment,” Antetokounmpo said. “I don’t think anybody assumed that the skinny kid from Greece that was drafted and supposed to play in the G-League would be in position to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record. I know for sure there’s going to be someone who is going to come along in time and break all of the records that Kareem set, Oscar Robertson, Marques Johnson, myself, Khris [Middleton].”

The Bucks won their thirteenth straight home game and improved to 14-1 at home while snapping the Rockets’ five-game winning streak. Houston (13-10) dropped to 2-9 on the road.

The Bucks showed a video of his career rebounding highlights at a timeout and Antetokounmpo received a huge ovation from the Fiserv Forum crowd.

Last week, the Greek Freak scored a franchise-record 64 points to help the Milwaukee Bucks outscore the Indiana Pacers 140-126.

Antetokounmpo broke the team record of 57 set by Michael Redd in 2006 in a 113-111 loss to the Utah Jazz. Antetokounmpo’s previous career high was 55 in a 123-113 victory over Washington in January 2023. He had 54 at Indiana on November 9th.

“It’s a great feeling. It’s a great feeling, being able to do it,” Antetokounmpo said. “As much as I can, I try to play basketball for the right reason. I try to play basketball to win, try to play basketball to help my teammates be great, but at the end of the day, being able to break this record in front of the fans here in this stadium, it’s a great feeling, too,” Antetokounmpo said last Thursday.

Antetokounmpo one of the most decorated players in NBA history

The 2023-24 season has been particularly stellar for Antetokounmpo. He’s dominating the court with an average of 30.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. Moreover, his shooting accuracy is remarkable, with a career-high field goal percentage of 61.1 percent.

These statistics are not mere numbers but reflections of his growth as a player and his increasing impact on the game. As one of the most decorated players in NBA history, Athens-born Antetokounmpo won consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Awards in 2019 and 2020, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to win two MVPs before turning twenty-six.

Along with his MVP award, he was also named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, becoming only the third player after Michael Jordan (1988) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1994) to win both awards in the same season.

In 2021, Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to their first NBA championship since 1971 and was named Finals MVP. The same year, he was honored as one of the league’s greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.