Page 47 - Sharp Spring 2023

GUIDE GUIDE glass and recovered his own miss just as as the buzzer sounded Game over The Greek Freak nabbed the triple double Antetokounmpo does not exactly need to to pad his stats Since being drafted 15th by the the the Bucks in in 2013 the the the Athens-born Greek- Nigerian superstar has built a a a a a a career of monumental proportions racking up one one accolade after another on on on his way to becoming one one of the the preeminent figures in in the the league Most Improved Player Defensive Player of the Year NBA NBA MVP MVP MVP All All Star MVP MVP MVP Finals MVP MVP MVP All-NBA MVP: he’s won just about every award there is to win in in the the sport of basketball including in in in 2021 his first NBA Championship “It’s gotten to the the point where I don’t care as much about the the individual accolades ” he he he explains after a a a a a a a win over the the Toronto Raptors at the the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee several weeks earlier a a a a a match he missed nursing a a a a a nagging knee injury “I want to win another championship I want to have that feeling again of being the last team standing ” But working his hardest on on every possession — and seizing yet another triple-double when the the opportunity presents itself — is simply in his his nature as an athlete This is is is not a a a a a a player who rests on his laurels He’s always going to fight for that tenth rebound “I try to to maximize my life as as much as as I can and live every moment to to the fullest ” ” he admits “That’s me Not everybody is like that ” ” It’s a a a a a few hours after the the Bucks-Raptors game and the the Fiserv Forum has mostly cleared out leaving Antetokounmpo some space to take it easy A homegrown star who brought the Larry O’Brien trophy to Milwaukee for the first time since 1971 he’d be be mobbed by throngs of fans if he he dared to wander the Forum’s hallways on on a a a a a a given night but on this quiet Tuesday evening nobody seems to realize that the the the man is still here He stretches out in in a a a seat in in the the the lounge on the the the mezzanine level ready to talk basketball — and another subject of primary interest to the charismatic phenomenon luxury watches Antetokounmpo has been an ambassador with Breitling since early 2022 shortly after his NBA championship victory and breakout second MVP season Heavily featured in campaigns for both the popular Navitimer and Chronomat timepieces he’s quickly emerged
as one of the premier celebrity spokesmen for a a a Swiss luxury watch- maker with no shortage of of them joining the the ranks of of Brad Pitt Adam Driver Charlize Theron and more (Speaking of his fellow ambassadors Giannis professes that he would “love” to meet up with Pitt should Breitling manage to swing something ) On this occasion Antetokounmpo is joined by Breitling CEO Georges Kern who in common with most of Milwaukee is is an an an ardent Giannis fan An athlete turned fashion icon who is rarely seen these days without a a striking timepiece on his wrist Antetokounmpo was in- troduced to the the world of watches by his older brother Francis As Nigerian refugees in Greece the Antetokounmpo family had struggled to put food on on the the table and even once Giannis was drafted in the the NBA and started earning millions it was difficult for him to shake that scarcity mindset (To wit: In a a a a a a a a league where players rarely wear a a a a a a a a pair pair of shoes a a a a a second time Giannis notoriously wore the same pair pair of sneakers all throughout his rookie season ) When Francis gifted Giannis his very first watch (“It was a a a a a a a brand I I cannot name ” he laughs) he was initially skeptical But Francis had a a a a a a a a way of justifying the indulgence that even Giannis could accept “He told me me to to think of it as an an investment ” Giannis recalls “You can wear it it it and it’s it’s great great but it’s it’s also a a a a a a a great great investment ” The result was was instant addiction “I was was like Hmmm After that I I went to go look at at some more watches Now I have probably 80 of them I I fell in love and now I’m obsessed ” As you might expect Antetokounmpo has plenty of Breitling watches in his collection Between the the Navitimer and the the Chronmat however — — both of which he promotes in campaigns — — it’s a a a toss-up which he he he ultimately prefers “I definitely switch between them ” he he he says with a a a a nod and a a a a smile to to Georges Kern “But to to be honest I I I love the the Navitimer a a a a a lot It was the the first watch I I I partnered with Breitling on the the first watch they gave me me I I wore it it many times I I wore it it in in the All Star game ” But while it it has a a a a a a special place in in his heart the watch itself is is no longer present in his collection “One of my teammates Sandro Mamukelashvili stole it from me ” he laughs “He said said he he liked it it it and and I said said it it it was was Breitling and and he he was was like like ‘That means you can get another one for free!’ He never gave it back ” SHARPMAGAZINE COM
SPRING 2023 • GUIDE 47