The triumph of Giannis, Milwaukee highlights key life lessons

“I figured out like a mindset to have,” the freak said days ago. 

“When you focus on the past, that’s your ego… and when I focus on the future, it’s my pride… I kind of try to focus in the moment, in the present. 

“And that’s humility, that’s being humble.”

That. 

It hits right on the mark, doesn’t it?

That is the line that we should remember from one of the most magical runs of a superstar’s path to glory and vindication, and the line we should remember from the remarkable coronation of a team whose values give the National Basketball Association the perfect model to display center stage.

It’s clear with the way he speaks that Giannis Antetokounmpo has hit a mental landmark, the kind that only few of the greats can ever master, while others may never discover. 

And the reason why it resonates so much is because his new-found belief is applicable for any human on his or her way to discovering self-actualization. 

It sounds simple, right? 

“Focus on the present.”

But like most cliches in this world, theory doesn’t so easily become reality. 

Unless, of course, you have that mental fortitude to back it up. 

That means developing the willingness to pound the rock every single day, uncertain of when blue skies shall appear, but pounding anyway for the slight chance at breakthrough.

That’s exactly what Giannis Antetokounmpo and his world champion Bucks accomplished by closing out the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the NBA Finals, bringing Milwaukee its first title since 1971. 

Half a century. Just think of all the history that’s taken place in between.

By delivering his promise to the place he chose as his home, the ending was worthy of the pages of Walt Disney’s manuscripts. 

Think about it:

Giannis, a stateless young man who only discovered the game of basketball at the age of 12, who had to sell DVDs and CDs in the streets of Greece, who had to hawk anything he and his brother could find just to put food on the table, finally had his arms raised in triumph, basking in the jubilation only manifested following a lifetime pursuit of excellence.

From Athens to Milwaukee, this is more than just The American Dream. It’s a dream for anyone in the world who dares to aspire for bigger and better.

Beyond the crowd-awakening slam dunks, the soul-shattering blocks, the dedication to teammates, and his unwavering loyalty to family, what makes the NBA’s new poster boy is more impactful than any statistic on a sheet or trophy made of gold can ever display: 

The desire to keep going. 

To keep wanting. 

To keep fighting.

Giannis became a sensation because he wasn’t content accepting the life dealt to him.

Not content being just another NBA player or to be just an MVP. Not content to be like every other superstar because he had a unique desire to do things his way. Some may call it the old way. Whether that remains the right way or not is a debate for another day. 

But today, it sure looks impressive.

“I’m a f****** champion, nobody can take this away from me!” he screamed to the world. 

He’s right.

Before these 2021 NBA Playoffs, when was the last time there was a major conversation about Khris Middleton that didn’t involve the statement: 

“He isn’t good enough to be the second-best player on a title team!”

As Middleton danced his way in the mid-range, hitting a patented fallaway to put one of the final daggers in the Bucks’ closeout triumph, it was eye-opening to realize how we as a society are so quick to stamp things or people as final products even as the present continuously rewrites itself.

Do you believe in Middleton magic yet?

How about the beauty of Jrue Holiday, the basketball savant? 

How about the beauty in discovering that the best of the best is not only born from fitting into “hero-ball” narratives that are destined to change, because a workhorse defender with the capability to physically strip a high-caliber opponent’s opportunity at making history deserves just as much honor as hitting a game-winning shot when the final buzzer sounds.

Chances are, Devin Booker will spend the rest of his life with memories of Holiday’s suffocating defense. 

So will Chris Paul, a man whose name will be associated with the Hall of Fame.

Holiday might not have shut them down, but his unrivaled defensive pressure, built on sculpted-long arms and boulder-like shoulders, exhausted them enough that two of the best ballhandlers in basketball made costly mistakes at the most inopportune times. 

How about Bobby-freaking-Portis, a man once destined for the role of NBA journeyman, finding the perfect home to blossom his version of “eccentric.” 

Ever heard the saying, “Your crazy matches my crazy?”

Portis and Milwaukee are a match made in heaven.

How about PJ Tucker, who someway, somehow, won a ring before anyone else on one of the greatest “what-if” teams the sport has ever seen?

How about coach Mike Budenholzer, who was on a seat hotter than a brick-oven pizza, sticking true to his beliefs despite everybody’s insistence that he wasn’t the man for this job – of leading these Bucks to the promise land – but getting it done?

Every great coach was once a question mark before the hardware presented them with the ultimate trump card. Even the great Gregg Popovich once nearly lost his job. Imagine a world where the San Antonio Spurs moved on instead. Would the legendary era of Tim Duncan still have been as great?

We’ll never know, because the repercussions of NBA history are that fickle. It’s almost like having multiple timelines. You could be meant for a lifetime of satisfaction one year and on the road to uncertainty not long after.  

Or like in the Bucks’ case, from misery to winning. 

And that’s exactly why the scenes right after this season’s final game clock expired genuinely felt like it was straight out of a movie. Whether you watch hoops for the analysis, data, storylines, conversations, whatever, each and every one of us will forever remember the moment Giannis sat on the chair, the perfect image of how emotions can overtake an individual.

It was unequaled joy. Call it cheesy, but it looked exactly like a human who watched his destiny finally come to life.

They taunted him at the free throw line. They called him a “Robin.” They said he wasn’t good enough. They said he’d never win in Milwaukee.

Yet despite all of that, he still proclaimed, “Don’t call me ‘MVP’ until I become a champion.”

Establishing an expectation of that magnitude was challenging enough, but accomplishing it highlights how moving one’s journey can be. For that to be the image of what an ultimate competitor is sends the perfect message to young kids, who like this MVP once upon a time, dream of an opportunity for bigger and better.

That’s why we’ll remember Giannis on the chair like we remember MJ hugging the trophy in ’91. Kobe running into Shaq’s arms in 2000. Wade throwing the ball to the heavens in ’06. KG’s “Anything is possible!” in ’08. Dirk escaping to the locker room in ’11. LeBron’s “It’s about damn time!” in ’12. 

Giannis didn’t need a super-team to do it. He didn’t even need a big market. While suitors lined up, expecting him to follow the same path as others and become a free agent, he instead dedicated himself to Milwaukee. He trusted in management and the staff. In Bud and his coaches. In Khris and Jrue. In Bobby and Pat. In Brook and Donte. And everyone else.

“We formed a bond, a brotherhood since that first year we’ve been together,” Middleton said of him and Giannis, both of whom will forever be called “champions.”  

“We struggled. We struggled together,” Khris admitted. 

“But we both saw in each other there was no give-up.”

Loyalty brings its rewards. And so does living in the moment.

After all, it’s always humbling to remember to live one day at a time. – Rappler.com