Greek basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo is now on par with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for scoring 45-plus points in 18 career games for the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Milwaukee Bucks ‘Greek Freak’ scored 48 points with 17 rebounds in the 112-108 loss against the Houston Rockets on Saturday, January 6th, meaning that he is now joint-top for the most 45-plus point games for the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Achievements
Antetokounmpo has also become the third player in NBA history to average 32-plus points, 13-plus rebounds, and 7-plus assists on 55 percent field goals in a 10-game span within a single season. This places him among the ranks of Nikola Jokic and Wilt Chamberlain.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging a career-high 31.6 points per game on 61 percent shooting. He also broke the franchise record for most points in a game this season when he scored 64 points against the Indiana Pacers. His 48 points against the Houston Rockets was the second consecutive 40-plus point game and the sixth time this season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo now equals Abdul-Jabbar’s record for the Bucks, but the legendary center went on to do it two more times with the Los Angeles Lakers, for a total of 20 games with 45-plus points scored.
Giannis Antetokounmpo gave it his all in a tough battle against the Rockets!
48 PTS / 17 REB / 16-25 FG
▪️ Giannis Antetokounmpo ties Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (18) for the most 45+ point games in Bucks franchise history
pic.twitter.com/9RH4ivHsZN— Live Fight Sports (@Livesportsfight) January 7, 2024
With his 18 games, Giannis Antetokounmpo ranks 18th on the NBA’s all-time list of players with the most 45-plus games. He is tied with Bernard King and Bob Pettit, and is just one game behind Larry Bird and Damian Lillard. He’s two games behind Abdul-Jabbar, Westbrook, and Durant, and three behind Jerry West.
Wilt Chamberlain holds the record for most 45-plus point games, at 176, which is followed by Michael Jordan, who has 76.
The Greek Freak was reportedly frustrated after the Bucks’ loss to the Rockets, which saw them lose for the third time in four games to start 2024. Speaking to ESPN, Antetokounmpo said: “We have to be better. We have to play better, we have to defend better, we have to trust one another better, we have to be coached better.”
“Every single thing, everybody has to be better,” said Antetokounmpo. “It starts from the equipment manager—he has to wash our clothes better. The bench has to be better, the leaders of the team have to be more vocal, we have to make more shots, we have to defend better, we have to have a better strategy, we have to be better. We have four months to get better, so we’ll see.”
The basketball player’s long-term partner Mariah Riddlesprigger hinted that the pair may be getting married in an Instagram post. The Salinas Californian posted a suggestive video on the social media site showing her and three friends toasting with champagne flutes in a wedding dress store.
The caption read “life lately” and was met with a torrent of congratulatory comments and likes.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
