As his teammates finished drills following the team’s shootaround Nov. 4 at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Giannis Antetokounmpo took a courtside seat.
With a smile on his face, the Milwaukee Bucks forward started a conversation. Considering the state of his team at the time, Antetokounmpo’s disposition did not match what one might expect.
Two days earlier, the Bucks had dropped their fifth consecutive game on a jumper by Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell with 0.1 seconds remaining on a possession that nearly resulted in a Cavs turnover on two different occasions. The Bucks were 1-5 as they headed to Cleveland, and Antetokounmpo was listed as questionable for that night’s game with a right adductor strain.
Yet, with the team struggling to find its way and the strain forcing him to miss that night’s game, Antetokounmpo discussed a wide variety of topics. Throughout the conversation, he joked, the smile rarely leaving his face.
As he got up and headed toward the team bus, he answered the question that had yet gone unasked.
“Don’t start worrying yet,” Antetokounmpo said with a knowing smile.
With that reassuring message, Antetokounmpo left the building.
Read my feature to understand why Antetokounmpo wasn’t panicking even amid the Bucks’ poor start.
GO FURTHER
Why Giannis Antetokounmpo never panicked about the Bucks: ‘I really believe in myself’
