Don’t expect Milwaukee Bucks stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis to get into a physical fight with their fellow NBA players any time soon. Not that they will, but there’s a good chance their peers will avoid doing so.
That’s what a recent NBA poll revealed, with both Antetokounmpo and Portis gaining some votes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis feared by NBA rivals
In an NBA player poll by The Athletic, one of the questions asked was “Who in the league would you least like to fight?”
A total of 125 players cast their votes, with both Antetokounmpo and Portis landing on the list.
Of course Giannis and BP are not the top vote-getters. The Greek Freak was tied for sixth on the least (along with Boban Marjanovic) with 2.4 percent votes. Meanwhile, the Sixth Man of the Year finalist in Portis garnered 1.6 percent votes (tied with Marcus Morris Sr.).
Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez actually got votes as well, albeit at 0.8 percent each.
Still, it’s interesting to note that four Bucks players were voted, which indicates that the team is feared upon by its rivals.
As expected, James Johnson had the most votes with more than half of the voters (53.6 percent) picking him as the least player they want to fight. After all, Johnson has an experience as a fighter.
Here’s what The Athletic wrote about Johnson.
“As many players discussed, it’s Johnson’s formal training as an actual fighter that most concerns them. He previously said that he holds a 20-0 record as a kickboxer, is 7-0 in mixed martial arts fights and has a black belt in karate. His nickname is ‘Bloodsport.’ Need we say more?”
Antetokounmpo also got MVP votes
Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t make it as a finalist for the NBA MVP award this season. However, he did get some recognition in the poll, with a few players picking him as the rightful MVP for the campaign.
Antetokounmpo got 1.4 percent of votes from the 141 players who joined. Nikola Jokic (41.8 percent), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (36.9 percent), Luka Doncic (9.9 percent) and Jayson Tatum (4.3 percent) are all ahead of him, though it’s still a noteworthy recognition given how many talented players there are in the league.
While many Milwaukee Bucks fans are mad that Antetokounmpo didn’t make it to the Top 3 of the official NBA MVP voting, there is still no denying that he is a Top 5 player in the league today.
Besides, for those who know Giannis, they know very well that the superstar’s focus is winning a championship in the NBA rather than individual accolades.
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