The Milwaukee Bucks have a new star in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is quickly becoming one of the best players in the NBA. He has been compared to Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at 26 years old, but which player comes out on top?
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tim Duncan, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are three of the best basketball players of all time. These three players were at their peak in age 26. Here is a comparison between these three players.
Since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did it 50 years ago, Giannis became the first Bucks player to lead Milwaukee to a title. During that playoff run, his age 26 seasons included some exceptional highs, but we can’t forget about what he accomplished before winning his first title. With Giannis’ credentials, he could retire from basketball right now and be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Giannis, on the other hand, is not going to do that. His accomplishments, though, are noteworthy, including a Finals MVP, two regular-season MVPs, a Defensive Player of the Year Award, and many other honors. How does he compare to two of basketball’s other big names, Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in terms of what he has accomplished so far in his career?
All three would have been eligible for the Hall of Fame if they had retired at the age of 26. In terms of being the best at the position and their overall performance, Giannis has made significant progress. Let’s take a look at Giannis, Kareem, and Duncan’s player rankings at the age of 26.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (#3)
12,319 points, 5,371 rebounds, 2,632 assists, 692 steals, and 765 blocks were the totals.
Averages: 20.9 points per game, 9.1 points per game, 4.5 points per game, 1.2 points per game, 1.3 points per game
53.2 percent FG Percentage
589 games have been played.
1 championship
MVPs of the Finals: 1
2 MVP Awards
MVP Awards for the All-Star Game: 1
1st place in the Defensive Player of the Year voting
0 for Rookie of the Year.
Five All-Star Teams
5 NBA All-Star Teams
4 All-Defense Teams
Giannis accomplished tremendous success at such a young age without needing to join a superteam. Giannis may have been dissatisfied with the Bucks after winning two consecutive MVP awards, including one season as both MVP and DPOY, and requested a trade to join the Warriors to form an extreme super squad. Rather, he followed through on a commitment he and Khris Middleton made when they initially joined the team. The goal was to win the NBA title for Milwaukee.
Giannis is one of just three 26-year-old or younger players to win MVP, Finals MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year, with Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon being the other two. Giannis also joins these two legends as players who stayed with the club that selected them and helped the city win a championship.
Despite his poor three-point and free throw shooting statistics, Giannis has a unique talent. With that stated, he is one of the greatest players in the league when it comes to finishing within the paint and around the basket. Giannis led the Bucks to a Game 6 victory against the Suns in the NBA Finals, scoring 30 of his game-high 50 points on bucks inside the arc.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (#2)
12,263 points, 6,249 rebounds, 1,744 assists, 112 steals (1 season), and 283 blocks are the totals (1 season)
30.5 points per game, 15.5 points per game, 4.3 points per game, 1.3 points per game**, 3.5 points per game**
55.2 percent FG Percentage
402 games have been played.
1 championship
MVPs of the Finals: 1
3 MVP Awards
MVP Awards for the All-Star Game: 0
Player of the Year, Defensive: 0
1st Rookie of the Year
Five All-Star Teams
5 NBA All-Star Teams
3 All-Defense Teams
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the greatest scoring big man of all time, according to statistics. His 30.5 points per game average became a trend that propelled him to the top of the league’s all-time scoring list. Kareem was the first Giannis Antetokonmpo in Milwaukee during his playing days. The team’s first-ever title was won by the Rookie of the Year and MVP in 1971. Kareem then went on to win two more MVPs before moving to Los Angeles, where he went on to win three more MVPs and five more titles.
Kareem was the league’s most dominating scorer and rebounder before steals and blocks were included as stats. Kareem would have ranked higher than both Giannis and Duncan in his early seasons if blocks had been preserved, as shown by his near 30-point, 15-rebound performances on a regular basis. That is apparent from his 3.5 blocks in his one season before to turning 27.
Because of the championship factor, Kareem drops to No. 2. Only one player on this list has won several titles and been named Finals MVP, giving him a small advantage in these rankings.
Tim Duncan is number one.
10,324 points, 5,548 rebounds, 1,147 assists, 352 steals, and 1,129 blocks were the totals.
Averages: 22.8 points per game, 12.3 points per game, 3.2 points per game, 0.7 points per game, 2.5 points per game
50.9 percent FG Percentage
451 games have been played.
2 championships
MVPs of the Finals: 2
2 MVP Awards
MVP Awards for the All-Star Game: 1
Player of the Year, Defensive: 0
1st Rookie of the Year
Five All-Star Teams
6 NBA All-Star Teams
6 defensive all-stars
Duncan has more rebounds, blocks, and titles than Giannis, despite playing in less games. He also has one more Finals MVP award. Duncan also has the same number of regular-season MVPs. Duncan resembles Giannis in appearance. Both players remained with their original teams and helped them win their first title in years.
Duncan and the Spurs were victorious for the first time in franchise history. Duncan went on to win five championships with the Spurs, including two in his first six years in the league. Duncan was very durable, playing more than 80 games three times, with the exception of one injury-plagued season in which he played 50 games.
When it comes to individual records, the two Finals MVPs have to choose Duncan over Giannis. Despite leading the Bucks to the No. 1 seed in both of his MVP seasons, Giannis was unable to go to the NBA Finals. Despite having one less regular-season MVP, Duncan wins the nod over Kareem due of his additional title and Finals MVP.
Conclusion
If we were looking at their whole careers, we would give Kareem the advantage over Duncan; nevertheless, Duncan has the greatest “start” in the early stages of his career. We have a surplus of data between the three athletes since they all played five to six seasons. Duncan, while having disadvantages in individual numbers, had the greatest overall résumé towards the conclusion of each player’s 26 seasons.
Age 30 will be the next milestone, and it will be fascinating to see whether Giannis can add to his already excellent career. As previously said, Giannis is now a Hall of Famer. What is the Greek Freak’s next move?
Next
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