Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki recently revealed that the team considered drafting Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2013. The Milwaukee Bucks superstar was the 15th overall pick in that draft, but Nowitzki said they nearly selected him a couple of picks earlier.
In his recent guest appearance on “The Analysis Show,” the Hall of Famer recalled Dallas considering selecting Giannis with its 13th pick, looking to improve their then-middling 41-41 record. However, the German marksman, seeing that Antetokounmpo was a relative unknown, was skeptical about him.
“It’s actually a funny story,” Nowitzki recounted. “I was in the draft room when Giannis was in the draft. So, we had a pretty high pick because we didn’t have a great season, and so one of our GMs is like, ‘We need to draft Giannis.’ He puts on the video, and it was this grainy footage from second division in Greece. I’m like, ‘What? This kid is this skinny.’ I’m like, ‘That is hilarious.'”
The 2013 NBA Draft was considered an all-time weak draft with no consensus top draft pick. Anthony Bennett, the first-overall pick of that draft selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers, turned out to be one of the biggest draft busts in the league’s history.
Meanwhile, Milwaukee took a chance with Giannis Antetokounmpo, who back then had raw talent and athleticism masked by a skinny build, but broke out of that shell and put a stamp on the NBA as one of the league’s premier two-way players today.
“That just shows how far the game has come and the scouts [are] seeing everybody now, and so, yeah, he’s been an incredible talent in our league,” Nowitzki added.
The Bucks hit the jackpot, and things would have played out differently if Nowitzki and the Mavericks got to Giannis first.
Dirk Nowitzki idolized by Giannis Antetokounmpo
Dirk Nowitzki was one of the only two Europeans selected to be in the NBA’s list of 75 greatest players in the league’s history in February of 2022, the other one being Giannis Antetokunmpo. The Milwaukee Buck was ecstatic to be part of the roster, not because of the biggest NBA legends in it, but because of the Mavericks legend.
The “Greek Freak” credits Nowitzki for “opening the path” for players like himself, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, among others.
“There were only two Europeans in this [list], right? That’s insane,” said Giannis. Ok, sitting next to Michael Jordan, that’s great, LeBron and Carmelo, just talking real. But having the opportunity to sit next to Dirk that kind of opened the path for us, that’s an even more incredible feeling for me.”
Nowitzki returned the praise for Antetokounmpo during a press conference in Milan in September of that same year, recalling how he thought of him as just another skinny player, but then he went on to improve his skill level and lead the Bucks and his Greek national team.
“So, it has been a wonderful journey for him. Obviously, MVP and champion already. I am really happy for him. He is a good kid. And he keeps working hard and keeps getting better. I am a big fan,” Nowitzki said.
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