Last week, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James made headlines with his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, where he covered a wide range of NBA topics. One of the most debated takes from the interview was his bold claim about the Bucks standout Giannis Antetokounmpo. Now, Warriors forward Draymond Green has stepped in to offer his perspective.
“You’re trying to tell me Giannis wouldn’t be able to dominate in the ’70s? Giannis would’ve had 250 points in a game back then. 250!” LeBron confidently stated while discussing The Greek Freak. While the remark sparked controversy—some seeing it as disrespectful to past NBA players—Green attempted to clarify LeBron’s point during an episode of The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis.
“As if 55 years of basketball play did not change the skill level, did not change the fitness level, did not change the understanding of the game. The last 55 years, all of those things have changed. Nobody said, ‘Hey, if you take Giannis, put him back in the 70s, but now you have to make him a 70s basketball player.’ That wasn’t the point,” Green explained.
“The point was if you take Giannis Antetokounmpo, who he is today, and he played in the 70s, he’d have 250 points,” Green continued. “It’s no disrespect to players of the 70s. But everything has changed. We don’t play the same game of basketball that they played in the 70s. There was no 3-point line, there was no defensive 3 seconds. Now you take these skill sets of today and put them in that era, I’m sorry. It’s going to be hard for those players in the 70s“.
Draymond Green #23 defends against Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 during the second half at Chase Center. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Giannis reacts to LeBron’s bold claim
After the Bucks’ loss to the Knicks, Antetokounmpo addressed LeBron’s comments in a postgame press conference. While he didn’t fully agree with James’ statement, he still appreciated the praise from the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
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“I think if I played in the ’70s… probably more, 275… No, I’m joking,” Giannis said with a smile. “Great compliment, but I don’t like comparing eras. It’s not fair. You know, if I played in the ’70s, with how everybody practiced and played, I would play the same way… The game evolves. We got to 2020, and we know more. People shoot the ball from half court… It’s totally different, so you cannot compare this era with that era”.
Chandler Parsons: ‘It’s not a fair argument’
Former NBA player Chandler Parsons took a different stance on the debate during an episode of Run It Back. The former Mavericks player believes that Giannis playing in the 70s with today’s physical attributes would be completely unfair.
“Do I think he could possibly make a run at Wilt’s record and have over a hundred? I think they would arrest him if they saw Giannis in the ’70s and did what he did against those guys,” Parsons joked. “It’s a whole different level. It’s a whole different level of athleticism, resources, and medical advances now; it’s not even a fair argument”.
