Giannis Antetokounmpo has already had a legendary career at age 31

NBA seasons travel at light speed, and before you know it, your favorite players who left behind the sweetest memories are hanging their sneakers over a wire. It’s hard to escape these thoughts as Giannis Antetokounmpo turns 31 on Dec. 6. He’s still at the beginning of the second half of his career, in year 13, and being a freakishly strong, high-level athlete will keep him among the elite for the next five seasons, at least.

Only thoroughbreds like Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Stephen Curry, to name some, are capable of extensive domination. Antetokounmpo is one of those guys. On top of that, considering his thick résumé, it’s a good time to think about his spot in history.

LeBron James always got credit for being as lethal as an unmanned locomotive, but the same thing could be said about the Greek Freak, a bigger presence at 6'11. This is his eighth season as a definitive top-five player, and in that stretch, some of his achievements include being the back-to-back MVP, a Defensive Player of the Year crown, a championship and a Finals MVP.

There are only 11 players ever who have logged at least 20,000 points, 4,000 assists and 8,000 rebounds. Antetokounmpo, Russell, Westbrook and James are the only three active ballers on the list.

The most special moment of his career was the championship series against the Phoenix Suns in 2021, which was 50 years after the Bucks won their first title. The Milwaukee Bucks became the fifth team in NBA history to win the title after falling behind 2-0. He famously blocked Deandre Ayton’s lob in Game 4, punched in his own lob in Game 5 while getting pushed by Chris Paul, and had a 50 piece in Game 6, leaving behind souvenirs tattooed into the minds of anyone who witnessed it up close or saw it live.

That championship was redemption for folding in five in round two the previous season against the Miami Heat. The team upgraded by trading for Jrue Holiday during that brief offseason, and Giannis came back better, too, setting a career high in effective field goal percentage (60.0), which he later surpassed thrice.

One day he’ll be in the Hall of Fame, and if he doesn’t win any more championships, it’s still a remarkable career. He’s been a nightmare for schemes yet, he wouldn’t get to sit at the proverbial table inside the holy of holies that includes Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell and Hakeem Olajuwon because either he lacks the rings or is not as hard to guard as them. Nevertheless, it's hard to see him any lower than a top-20 all-time player, which is not too shabby for the kid who grew up selling CDs, DVDs, glasses and watches on the streets of Athens.

What matters most is that he delivered the Bucks their best years since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. They had only four conference finals appearances after Abdul-Jabbar left, until the 2019 squad made it. Regardless of where his career finishes, he should be remembered as a legend.