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Giannis Antetokounmpo wishes he played college basketball at Duke

The only scholarship offer Giannis got was from Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia.
Matthew Dugandzic|
Giannis Antetokounmpo wishes he played college basketball at Duke
Giannis Antetokounmpo wishes he played college basketball at Duke

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Milwaukee Bucks

Even though the path that Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo took to NBA stardom worked out just fine, he still believes he could have arrived in the NBA much more polished had he received a more formal basketball education from an NCAA Division 1 school. To that end, he pinpointed NCAA powerhouse Duke as the school he would have liked to go to if he were given a choice back then.

Chance to develop his unique skills

The Greek Freak explained that he chose Duke because of the Blue Devils’ success in developing players who don’t necessarily fit into a particular mold. He cited the likes of Zion Williamson, Jabari Parker, and Jayson Tatum as players who have flourished in the Association after playing at Duke under the legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski.

“I like Duke because of the players that came out of that program. You usually see a lot of four men that don't fit the mold. I think I'm one of those guys. I'm 6'11, and I can handle the ball and pass and get in the paint. You see players like that who came out of that program: Zion Williamson, Jabari Parker, Jayson Tatum, and Brandon Ingram. Not only are they very good basketball-wise, but academically it's also a great school," said Giannis.

As a youngster who developed his skills in Europe, Giannis relayed he didn’t get scholarship offers from any of the big-name schools. In fact, he got only one offer—from Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia.

"When I was 15, I was 'highly recruited' by Old Dominion," he said. "That was my only offer."

Worked out well

Even though Giannis never got to play in the NCAA, he used the NBA as his training ground to become one of the best players in the world. 

After getting picked 15th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft, Giannis played 77 games during his rookie year, starting 23 of them later in the regular season. He averaged 6.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game in his first year, blossomed in his second year, and never looked back.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.