32 reasons why Giannis Antetokounmpo is the greatest Milwaukee Bucks player ever

3. Giannis sits atop 32 different Milwaukee Bucks All-Time Records

Kareem and Giannis pose together — June 24, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo poses with former player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar arrives on the red carpet for the 2019 NBA Awards show at Barker Hanger. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Giannis Antetokounmpo has spent a minute or two playing basketball for the Milwaukee Bucks, 28,729 of them to be exact, the most of any player to ever wear a Bucks jersey.

Over 13 seasons in Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo has climbed to the top of the leader board in nearly every stat imaginable, ranking 1st in 32 records:

28,729 Minutes Played
21,030 Points
12,031 2pt Field Goal Attempts
8,702 Total Rebounds
7,713 Field Goals
7,301 Free Throw Attempts
7,161 2pt Field Goals
7,047 Defensive Rebounds
6,249 Field Goals Missed
5,052 Free Throws
4,392 Assists
2,642 Turnovers
2,578 Personal Fouls
1,655 Offensive Rebounds
1,392 Field Goal Attempts
1,080 Blocks
876 Games Played
123.6 Win Shares
78.2 Offensive Win Shares
64.0 VORP
56 Triple-Doubles
45.4 Defensive Win Shares
35.8 Points Per 100 Poss
26.4 Points Per 36
13.1 FGM Per 100
12.4 FTA Per 100
9.1 FTA Per 36
8.6 FTM Per 100 (T-1st)
8.3 FTA/gm
55% FG%
29.9% USG%
26% DREB%

Antetokounmpo also ranks highly in nearly every category he's not leading; Giannis stands at 2nd in 16 other all-time Milwaukee Bucks stats, and rounds out the Top-10 in another 16 more, via Basketball Reference:

2nd 977 Steals
2nd 61% TS%
2nd 9.9 RPG
2nd 8.9 DRPG
2nd 8.8 FGM/GM
2nd 5.8 FTM/GM
2nd 26 PER
2nd 20.7% Win Shares Per 48
2nd 6.8 BPM
2nd 4.6 Offensive BPM
2nd 2.2 Defensive BPM
2nd 9.7 FGM Per 36
2nd 2pt FGM Per 36
2nd 6.3 FTM Per 36
2nd 12 DREB Per 100
2nd 12.2 2pt FGM Per 100

3rd 24 PPG
3rd 60% 2P%
3rd 8.2 2PT FGM/gm
4th 4.5 Turnovers Per 100
4th 57% eFG%
4th 8.8 DREB Per 36
4th 17.5 FGA Per 36
4th 3.3 Turnovers Per 36
5th 1,931 3pt Field Goal Attempts
6th 23.8 FGA Per 100
7th 552 3pt Field Goals
9th 15.9 FGA/gm
9th 13.7 FGM/gm
9th 16.5 REB%
9th 117.9 O-RTG
9th 10.9 REB Per 36

2. Weighing Longevity vs Peak Dominance

Oscar dribbles with Kareem behind him — Apr 1971; USA; FILE PHOTO; Milwaukee Bucks guard Oscar Robertson (1) and center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33). Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Network. | Malcolm Emmons - Imagn Images

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Milwaukee tenure is highlighted by the Bucks first-ever championship in 1971 with a Finals MVP and NBA MVP in that same season.

Before submitting his hall-of-fame resume with the Lakers, Kareem built a resume in Milwaukee that's hall-of-fame worthy on its own:

3x NBA MVPs
4x All-NBA 1st teams
1x All-NBA 2nd Team
2x All-Defensive 1st Teams
2x All-Defensive 2nd Teams
6x All-Star appearances

In Milwaukee, Kareem was a 2x scoring champ, 1x rebounding leader, 1x blocks leader (the year they began tracking blocks), leading the league in BPM in 1974, PER 4x, and Win Shares 4x. Kareem finished in the Top-3 in Scoring over 6x seasons and Top-5 in Rebounding over 6x seasons.

Oscar Robertson spent his final 4 NBA seasons in Milwaukee. In 1971, Oscar helped orchestrate the Bucks' first championship alongside Kareem, after making All-NBA 2nd team and finishing 5th in MVP voting.

Robertson rated 5th in Triple Doubles 2x in Milwaukee after leading the league in Triple Doubles 6x with the Cincinnati Royals, also rating Top-7 in Assists 3x as a Buck after leading the league in Assists 7x in Cincinnati.

While anyone can argue the legend formerly known as Lew Alcindor was the greatest player to ever wear a Bucks jersey, the case for who had the best career as a Buck isn't completely shut.

With all due respect to Kareem and Oscar, indisputably two GOATs of the sport, Antetokounmpo has done more than enough on the hardwood to make the claim as the GOAT Buck.

Winning the first title Milwaukee had seen in the fifty years' since Kareem's, Antetokounmpo added a Finals MVP that season to boot.

After 13 seasons in Milwaukee, Giannis has secured:

2x NBA MVPs
7x All-NBA 1st Teams
2x All-NBA 2nd Teams
4x All-Defensive 1st Team
1x All-Defensive 2nd Team
9x All-Stars
1x Defensive Player of the Year
1x Most Improved Award

While Antetokounmpohas only led the league in a handful of metrics over a full season, with +11.5 BPM and 716 defensive rebounds in 2020, its' Giannis' all-around production among the league's elite that stands out:

Giannis has finished Top-5 in Scoring in 8x seasons, Top-8 in Rebounding in 7x seasons, Top-20 in Assists per game in 4x seasons, Top-20 in Blocks per game in 6x seasons, and 11th in Steals per game in one season.

1. Giannis is the greatest sportsman to walk through Wisconsin

Giannis points — Nov 29, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts after scoring his 21,000th career point in the third quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Giannis saved Milwaukee Bucks basketball after decades of uncertainty.

Countless legends recognizable by a single household name have walked through Wisconsin through the doors to greatness; from Favre, Rodgers, Starr to Oscar and Kareem.

Giannis' name stands alone for the total package - not just the awards, the title, the basketball, but for the full arc and everything else – the rise of the home-grown team-drafted superstar that represents the hard-working culture of the city, promising everything fans could dream before delivering even more than those cheese heads could imagine as a modern day sports story tale.

Antetokounmpo delivered on the promise, won the title, filled the trophy case, and secured a new arena for the city, helping deter any rumors of relocation. The hero's journey writes itself.

Being drafted by Milwaukee, developing from a raw potential 15th pick to outlier success story legend, staying through years of trade rumors even after finally climbing the mountain top, shows his loyalty and commitment to the franchise.

Antetokounmpo told Chris Haynes just this week after more trade rumors appeared in the news that when he sees "a wall, I want to run through the wall, and make things work."

"I see a wall and I want to run through the wall, and make things work."@ChrisBHaynes on what Giannis Antetokounmpo told him about his future in Milwaukee.#NBAonPrime pic.twitter.com/hz6t3rZJGR
— NBA on Prime (@NBAonPrime) December 6, 2025