“I cannot be 0-3 against him!”- Giannis Antetokounmpo on his impending battle with fellow All-Star Game captain LeBron James
Defeat LeBron James and company. Giannis Antetokounmpo reiterated this goal of his when Team Giannis and Team LeBron duke it out for the 2023 All-Star Game on February 19th in Salt Lake City.
Giannis wants to win
Antetokounmpo is determined to end his string of losses against James after he was named the captain of the Eastern Conference All-Stars for the third time. James is embarking on his sixth stint as the skipper of the Western Conference All-Stars.
On the two occasions that he led his All-Star squads in 2019 and 2020, Antetokounmpo has yet to win against the James-captained teams.
Interviewed by Ernie Johnson of Inside the NBA shortly after the Milwaukee Bucks' 116-105 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, Antetokounmpo appeared determined to end James' dominance against him in All-Star Games.
"My goal is to beat Lebron. I gotta do my best job possible," Antetokounmpo said.
Eventful All-Star weekend for the Greek Freak
Antetokounmpo will have his hands full during the All-Star Week as he and his brothers, Thanasis and Alex, will be coaching Team Dwyane in the 2023 All-Star Celebrity Game on February 17th.
"I will coach the celebrity game, so I kinda work my way to coaching, and then be the captain and work my way to the front office. I gotta do the best job," said Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo will indeed have so much on his plate during the All-Star Week, but the most significant task he intends to achieve is to finally get one over James.
"I cannot be 0-3 against him," he said.
Just before the All-Star Game tip-off, Antetokounmpo, and James, as captains of the All-Star teams, will select the players who will compose their respective squads. The selection will come from the pool of starters and reserves that were previously announced.
