Heat's Giannis Antetokounmpo: 'I don't care about being best, I care about being a winner.'

There’s nothing quite like being at the top of the pyramid.

After the 2020-21 season, you could argue that Giannis Antetokounmpo, fresh off his first and only championship with the Milwaukee Bucks, was there.

At the time, he was one season removed from winning back-to-back MVPs, becoming the 12th player ever to win it in consecutive seasons, the first since Stephen Curry (2014-16). He was also one season removed from winning Defensive Player of the Year, and the 6-foot-11 “Greek Freak” topped off a miraculous NBA Finals finish with a 50-point, 14-rebound, five-block performance, becoming the second player in league history — and the first in over a half-century (Bob Pettit, 1958) — to score 50 points in a closeout NBA Finals game.

However, since that illustrious date, while many regard Antetokounmpo as one of the NBA’s best, he faded from the “best player in the world” conversation.

But five years later, he still thinks he is, even though that’s not the most important thing on his mind right now.

“I really do believe that if not the best, I’m one of the best players in the world,” he told reporters on media day. “I know I’m at my best when I’m locked in and my body’s right. I really do believe I can dominate the game and impact the game on both ways — offensively and defensively.

“When you’re up there — top-5, 4, 3, 2, 1 — the best player is whoever is able to impact the game and help his team go deep into the playoffs and win a championship. That’s who’s the best player to me. … I don’t care about being the best, I care about being a winner.”

I asked Giannis if he is the best player in the world pic.twitter.com/3GJZiusYlr
— Ethan J. Skolnick, 5 Reasons Sports (@EthanJSkolnick) September 28, 2026

Well, the two-time MVP has won — just not recently.

Snake-bitten by injuries, Antetokounmpo was eliminated in the first round in each of his last three series with the Milwaukee Bucks, including once by the Miami Heat. He only played in two of those three series, missing the 2023-24 postseason with a calf strain.

Now, Antetokounmpo has a great opportunity to compete for another Larry O’Brien Trophy. He raises the floor for a team that’s made four straight play-ins, and also raises the ceiling for a team that’s won the East in two of the last seven seasons. In an ecosystem led by head coach Erik Spoelstra and three-time All-Star Bam Adebayo, with a stifling defense and a fast-paced offense, a healthy Antetokounmpo could bloom.