Giannis Antetokounmpo picks LeBron James as GOAT: ‘I say he is No. 1, and he’s still going’

“For 21 years, you never get in trouble, to be able to take in his family, protect this family, raise his kids the right way, you know, be happily married, all those things, it’s perfect,” Antetokounmpo said. “He’s kind of like setting the blueprint for the rest of us to go forward. That’s what I want. I want to be able to do what I do on the court consistently, be good, be healthy, be available for my team, be able to, you know, raise my family in a bubble away from what I do on the court for them to have a normal life as much as I can. Stay out of trouble. -via The Athletic / October 23, 2023

Speaking to the media ahead of opening night, Lakers star LeBron James gave some flowers to his longtime teammate and co-star, Anthony Davis. In response to a question, the 4x MVP called Davis one of the All-Time greats of team history and insisted that he’s everything the Lakers could ask for in a franchise player. “[Anthony Davis] is great, man… AD’s amazing. We’ve been here for the longest now, year six for me, year five for AD. We’re both co-captains and he’s just as much a leader of this ball club as I am. I have a lot of the guards that I take care of and he’s got a lot of the forwards and bigs to take care of and visa-versa. We switch off, that’s how our leadership is. AD’s everything that this franchise could want and more… He’s one of the greatest bigs to play for this franchise, for sure.” -via Fade Away World / October 22, 2023

And yes, James said, he has always been “self-motivated,” but he also said that this 2023-24 version of the Lakers motivates him some more because they have the talent and potential to win the championship. “I just think for one, it’s just my motivation to continue to be as great as I can be and solidify what I want to do in my career and still seeing that Larry O’Brien Trophy in my mind on a daily basis,” James said. “So, that’s one of the best four moments of my career, being able to hoist up that trophy. So, that’s motivation alone. -via Los Angeles Times / October 22, 2023

“Giannis just told me, you have to have that aggressive mentality every time,” said Beauchamp. “Especially on a good team like this … my confidence, it’s up and down. But I heard from the big dog now. I got to stay aggressive. I got to keep working.” -via Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel / October 21, 2023

And, to Giannis, Beauchamp in part of that goal. “He’s definitely part of this. He’s going to be a big part of this,” said Antetokounmpo. “You could see the way he played (Friday) night; he basically won the game for us. He came in in the fourth quarter, made plays, shot threes, he wanted it. It’s always awesome to see guys playing with a chip on their shoulder, guys just being aggressive and try to earn every single thing on the court. And that’s what I saw today and I’m happy that he’s doing that. -via Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel / October 21, 2023