NBA ALL-STAR GAME

February 16, 2025

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Press Conference (Pregame)

Q. Everybody has seen your posts on X last night by now. How serious are you about doing the Dunk Contest, and why would you --

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: I got hacked. I got hacked last night.

Q. Why do you feel more stars would be willing to do it right now?

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: I don't know. I think you get motivated seeing guys go out there to put on a show. You get motivated. People that can get up there -- my thing, A, if I'm healthy and things are going well for me next year, I will want to do it.

But my tweet, I got hacked last night. That wasn't me. That was my kids tweeting. That wasn't me.

Q. They're very accomplished hackers for that young.

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: Yeah, while I was sleeping, they woke up in the middle of the night, came next to the nightstand, took my phone out of my charger, went to their room, tweeted and I found out this morning.

Q. In terms of changing the All-Star format, we've gone through a bunch of different things. They're going to try a new one today. In the women's Unrivaled league, they just had a one-on-one battle that was really successful. Napheesa Collier won it. It was great, a lot of energy coming in there. A couple guys here said they would do that at an All-Star Weekend, James Harden, Kyrie Irving. Would you actually do that, actually compete in it?

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: Yeah. If I had the chance to play one-on-one with anybody, I would love to do it. Anything that can make the weekend more exciting, more fun for the viewers, for the fans and for the players, I would love to participate.

I've done every competition, I think. I've done the Skills Challenge. I've done the Dunk Contest. I haven't done the three-point shooting. But if it's a one-on-one competition, I would love to participate.

I think sometimes you forget, to be good, to be a good one-on-one player, you've got to be able to play both ways. You've got to get a stop to get the ball. You don't get a stop, you're not getting the ball.

It's kind of hard, say, if Kyrie Irving is going against Wemby. He's got to get a stop. But it would be fun. It would be fun. I would love to participate if next year there's a one-on-one tournament. I would love to participate.

Q. I have your word you'll do it?

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: I can't make no promises, but if I'm healthy, I'd probably do it.

Q. Giannis, along those lines of potential format changes, U.S. versus the World has been talked about --

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: I would love that. Oh, I would love that. I think that would be the most interesting and most exciting format. I would love that. For sure, I'd take pride in that. I always compete, but I think that will give me a little bit more extra juice to compete, like having Shai, Jokic, Luka, Wemby, Towns, Sengun. I know those players -- obviously I'm missing some guys that I cannot think from the top of my head, going against the best U.S. players. I think it would be fun. I think that would be the best format.

We have the NBA Entertainment guy here in the back. You guys talk to that guy. He can make it happen. Mr. Mike.

Q. Giannis, when you look back at your life and your career with the round ball, what's the biggest lesson that you take away from basketball, just playing basketball and being around the game?

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: The biggest lesson, I'd say there's going to be a lot of ups and downs, so just stay focused on your goals and what you want, your dreams, and be disciplined enough to do whatever is necessary every single day. I feel like 12 years -- I've been 12 years in the NBA. I've been a pro since I was like 15, 16. But that's what I've been doing.

When I look back, when I go back and look at pictures or videos of my story or watch my documentary, I enjoy the view. I sit back and really enjoy everything that I've accomplished and the person that I am.

I feel like basketball has helped me, also, because I've interacted with a lot of people from different cultures, from different areas around the world, have allowed me to be a better husband, a better father, a better person.

So yeah, just be disciplined. Be disciplined every single day, and hopefully you can look back when it's done and you've really created something that you can enjoy, sit back and enjoy.

Q. With your journey to the league and now the first Youth Olympic Games coming to Africa and Dakar, Senegal, how exciting do you think that is as an event for the youth there, and what advice would you give to the --

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: I wasn't aware of it, but for sure it's exciting. And probably my advice would be work hard, believe in your dreams and enjoy everything that you're doing.

Q. With all the great international players across the All-Star event, yourself, Luka Doncic, would you like to see --

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: Hold on. Luka? I'm joking.

Q. I know he's not here at the moment, but international players at the All-Star Game, would you ever like to see the All-Star Game head overseas?

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: It would be fun. That would be really fun. Having a game in, like, Paris. Also a game in Paris, it's going to be hard for you guys to get there. They'd probably pay for your tickets and your hotel room and everything.

But that would be really, really fun. Having a game in the UK or a game in Paris. Or having a game in Greece, obviously is a small country, but why not. That would be -- or having a game in China. Having a game in China, an All-Star Game in China, and all the stars go there for a weekend and play the game, that would be fun. I think it would bring more attention to the game and more fun.

Q. You're known as a player who always plays hard pretty much. You mentioned the new format for the All-Star Game. What do you see as the future of the All-Star Game, and do you think this new format and maybe other changes moving forward will lead it to where it used to be where pretty much everyone plays hard?

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: Yeah, look, I think I understand -- I understand this format and why it's the way it is, and obviously the Rising Stars being a part of it, to hopefully push the All-Stars to play harder during the game.

But I'll be honest with you. I feel like everyone is grown men. You cannot force anybody to play hard if he doesn't want to. For me, when I come to this weekend, I come to compete against the best. I take my pregame nap. I get my treatment the night before. I don't go out. I have my pregame meal. I treat it like a game because I want to give my "A" game against the best players in the world.

Some other players, which don't get me wrong, you can go about your day and your routine any way you want. Some people just want to get out of here.

But again, going back to the U.S. versus the World, that would be an exciting format. I feel like that would make people play hard. Hopefully we can get it back -- I wasn't there, but get it back to where it was.

But I remember the first couple of years that I was an All-Star, everybody was playing hard. I feel like the last game that was played hard was 2020, and after that it's not been as hard. I don't blame nobody. Everybody is tired. Everybody is playing a lot of minutes. There's a lot of games during the season.

But I would love this to be -- because you don't get a chance to have a serious game against the 24 best players in the world, and I would love one day to have a serious game. Everybody treat it like a game and have two or three days to get accustomed with your new teammates and new coach and go out there and hoop and play hard and let the best win. I would love it to be like that again.

Q. You've been to many All-Star Games, and this is the first time all the international stars are kind of bunched up together. How would you compare the mood to your prior games to now where as you said, there's extra juice, and there's a sense of international pride for tonight's game?

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: Oh, yeah, for sure. I feel like my Team Chuck, we're excited. We're ready to go, juiced up, pumped up. We're listening in the locker room to some Serbian music, some Dominican music, some Greek music, some Turkish music, some French music. We're ready to go.

Q. A question related to international basketball. You have played the EuroLeague in several locations. Would you like to see at some point a competition between NBA teams and EuroLeague teams, especially taking into account, for example, NBA Cup and might have some flexibility to do that?

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: Yeah, I feel like EuroLeague is an incredible league. Very, very talented. Probably the top two, three, four teams in the EuroLeague, they are NBA teams. Let's say the team that my brother played for, Panathinaikos, they had like nine NBAers.

But no, it's not the same. I enjoy watching EuroLeague basketball more than I enjoy watching NBA basketball, but the competition level is not the same. The best teams here, like Denver, OKC, Boston, would destroy a lot of EuroLeague teams.

Q. If you played with FIBA rules?

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: If you played with FIBA rules --

Q. Greece, for example.

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO: If you played with FIBA rules, maybe some teams have a chance, for sure. I believe some teams have a chance. But then you can switch it and say if you play with NBA rules, none of those teams have a chance. But if you play with FIBA rules, some teams have a chance, for sure.