If there were any doubts about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s commitment, he believes his performance against the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 23 proves just how loyal he has been and how dedicated he was to helping this team win.
“There’s going to be some people that are like, ‘Hey, man, when s— got hard, he left us. When it didn’t go his way, he left,’” Antetokounmpo told The Athletic. “It bothers me — which it should not be bothering me — because I don’t like to quit. I got hurt in the first quarter of the game, the last game I played. And then in the fourth quarter, I got hurt again.
“Any other player on this planet would have — in my position, going through the season that he’s going through, and all these injuries coming back, win, lose, win, lose, inconsistent play, blah, blah — would have said, ‘Oh yeah, I’m just gonna protect my calf. You don’t know what tomorrow holds. Let’s just make a business decision here.’ That’s not me though.”
Antetokounmpo moved gingerly after the first quarter that night. With less than a minute remaining, Antetokounmpo heard his right soleus pop, and he was forced to miss the rest of the game.
“People, my agent, my physio (physiotherapist), people that love me, were like, ‘What the f— are you doing?’ That’s not me,” Antetokounmpo said. “My wife texted me after the game, ‘Why didn’t you leave the game?’ I said that’s not what I do. I don’t quit.
“I will go down swinging. It doesn’t matter, good or bad. You know why? I have trusted God until this point, and God always had a plan for me. There’s no reason for me not to trust him. He always has a platform, and this is how he built me. Some people say it’s the flaw; I call it strength. I’ve been, until this point in my career, having that mentality. So, you think I’m gonna change now? Hell no. Hell no, I don’t quit.”