	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND

February 19, 2017

Giannis Antetokounmpo

New Orleans, Louisiana - Postgame

West - 192

East - 182

Q. All-Star weekend. 30 points in an All-Star debut. What were you seeing out there? How are you feeling now post-game?
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: I was just having fun. As I said in the past, just trying to live in the moment. Just being out there next to the guys, it was fun. It was fun. I told the coach I'm going to play hard no matter what. That's the only thing I know how to do.

And the guys told me a lot. They talked to me a lot and told me your first shot got to be a layup so you can get underneath him, and that's what I did.

Q. Giannis, now that your first All-Star is over and the experience is behind, 30 points, top scoring as a rookie in the All-Star game. You can say this was more than you dreamed of?
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: Oh, definitely. Definitely. You know, start of the game, I was just hoping I could get a bucket, to not embarrass myself and just have fun, but it's definitely, as I said, just being out there, having fun.

LeBron, Kyrie, Jimmy, DeRozan passing me the ball and me passing the ball to them, it was so much fun. Definitely more than I dreamed of.

Q. Giannis, can you talk about the dunk you had, the putback dunk off the pump George missed and then the next time Curry went flat on the floor so you wouldn't dunk over him, just that kind of sequence. What were you thinking about that?
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: I just realized that. Because I was thinking about it, why did he lay flat on the floor? I was just -- you know, I said to myself, I chase every rebound. So it was an opportunity for a putback dunk, and this was there. So I just dunked the ball.

Q. Giannis, you were one of the few guys playing a little defense. You steal the ball from James Harden twice. Were the Western guys a little mad at you about that?
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: Can you repeat the question again, please?

Q. You steal the ball from James Harden twice and you're one of the only guys playing a little defense. Were the Western guys a little mad at you after the game?
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: No, no, they weren't mad at me. I think even the West knows me as a player, that no matter what I do every night, no matter what type of game it is, I'm going to play hard. I'm a player that plays hard. I don't think they was mad at me. But I know my teammates was happy. So that's all that matters.

Q. It looks like you guys were having so much fun out there. In your opinion this weekend, what has been the highlight for you apart from winning the game?
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: The highlight for me? I think just seeing my family after the game on the court, taking pictures with all the celebrities out there. Just the smile on their faces, how excited they are to be here. I think that's the highlight. I think everything else on the court going to take care of itself. Like I'm going to do my job no matter what. But just seeing my family having fun too beside me, it's just fun. It's fun. I'm really proud of myself that I can give that happiness and see them smile.

Q. Sometimes it looked like you wished this game was a bit more competitive.
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: Yeah, definitely.

Q. It looked like you wanted to play some defense, some pick-and-rolls, things like that?
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: Definitely. Actually, I was with my coach -- I think with my coach today, and I was talking -- Coach Sweeney. I was talking to him, and I told him, I can't wait until we get back and I start practicing and play games because I feel like I haven't played for four days now, and I feel like it's a year, you know.

So I was just excited. I was just trying to play hard. I told the guys after the half that I'm going now. I'm going to play hard now, and they told me, okay, you got it. So that's what I did.

Q. I'm very curious that you think the earth is round or flat? Sorry, I'll state it again. You think the earth is round or flat?
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: I'll let Kyrie answer that. I don't know. I don't know (laughter).

Q. Do you agree with him that the earth is flat? Or no?
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: I don't know. Whatever Kyrie say. He's my teammate.

Q. I know. I understand.
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: I have his back. Whatever Kyrie say.

Q. Congratulations. Giannis, imagine how life changed and how life became for you if you remember where you have been four years ago, and now you have the whole world in front of you.
GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: It's amazing, man. This story and this journey is incredible. A lot of people helped me. My family was right there for me. I think moving forward I'm just going to work hard, and more good things going to come along the way. But it's fun. It's definitely unbelievable.

Sometimes I look back, and I cannot be mad. I cannot be mad at anything. Like sometimes I see people like say stuff or something like going on in my life that I don't want it to happen, but I'm just looking at the journey, looking at my brothers, looking at my brothers growing up, looking at myself, I'm growing every day as a person and every day as a player. It's just unbelievable. It's fun. I'm really happy.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297