Giannis Antetokounmpo Researched Head Coach Jason Kidd's Playing Career After First Benching

Everybody's favorite 6'11" point guard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, was the subject of a lengthy profile from Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins. The writer explores all sides of the Greek Freak, from his childhood days selling knock-off sunglasses on the streets of Athens to his wide-eyed introduction to America and the NBA to his breakout 2016-17 campaign.

By far the best anecdote comes from Giannis's second season, when Jason Kidd took over as head coach of the Bucks. Apparently the young Greek was not overly familiar with Kidd's resume, per Jenkins:

The first time Kidd benched him, Antetokounmpo was irate. "I was like, 'Let's see what this guy did in his career, anyway,' " Antetokounmpo recounts, and called up Kidd's bio on his phone. "I saw Rookie of the Year, NBA championship, USA Olympic gold medal, second in assists, fifth in made threes, blah, blah, blah. I was like, 'Jesus freaking Christ, how can I compete with that? I better zip it.' "

Jason Kidd ended his playing career mere weeks before Giannis was selected in the 2013 NBA Draft.

In his defense, Antetokounmpo didn't really have the time or the opportunity to study the NBA greats as the child of illegal Nigerian immigrants scraping out a living on the fringes of Greek society. "A lot of players will tell you, 'When I was a kid, I watched Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, LeBron, Magic, and I wanted to be just like them,' " Antetokounmpo said. "For me it wasn't like that at all."

By now he's played against LeBron and Kobe, and he's almost certainly been introduced to the likes of Jordan and Magic. And if those old-timers haven't yet had the privilege of meeting Giannis Antetotkounmpo, they can always check him out in New Orleans during All-Star Weekend.

[Sports Illustrated]