Giannis Antetokounmpo declared “the sky is the limit” for Victor Wembanyama after edging a thrilling first meeting with the rookie, helping the Milwaukee Bucks past the San Antonio Spurs.
Former NBA MVP Antetokounmpo finished with 44 points as the Bucks halted their two-game losing streak on Thursday, beating the struggling Spurs 125-121 at Frost Bank Center.
Wembanyama kept his team in an absorbing, end-to-end contest with his 27-point haul, also teeing up Tre Jones for a missed three-pointer in the dying moments after swatting the ball away from Antetokounmpo.
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Speaking after the Bucks improved to 25-10 for the season, Antetokounmpo backed the number one draft pick to become one of the greats, saying: “He’s special.
“He’s going to be an extremely good player. He plays the right way. He plays to win. I’ve never seen anything like him.
“The sky is the limit as long as you work hard, keep having a positive attitude. Everything he dreams of is going to happen for him.”
Wembanyama, meanwhile, said he had learned a lot from facing Antetokounmpo and chose to remain positive after the Spurs ran a Championship contender close.
“It’s always extra motivation and I know I’m a competitor,” Wembanyama said of facing the NBA’s best players. “So I want to go at everyone and be the bad guy on the court. So it was a great matchup.
Epic battle between these bigs. pic.twitter.com/HvTD7Gm6NX
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 5, 2024
“I’m trying to gain knowledge from as many great players as there are. Giannis is one of the players I’ve watched the most.
“The way he uses his body, he makes 100 per cent of what he can do with his body. That’s something I look up to. He’s a player I know pretty well.
“It’s promising. We had some moments in the game where everything seemed to work, and I could feel the crowd believing in us and getting going. Some of this was satisfying tonight.”
