Dec 2, 2022; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) exchange hugs after the Los Angeles Lakers 133-129 win over the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Bucks News: Insider Sees Stark Contrast Between Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James

Originally posted on Milwaukee Bucks on SI
By Alex Kirschenbaum | Last updated Aug 9, 2025 11:30 AM ET

A longtime NBA expert recently unpacks the big difference between nine-time All-NBA Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, 30, and 21-time All-NBA Los Angeles Lakers power forward LeBron James, the league's oldest player at age 40.

Both players, in their primes, were aggressive, hyper-athletic two-way behemoths, capable of bending the gravity of opposing defenses to their will even as they did the most damage in the paint. Antetokounmpo may not be quite the athletic marvel he was when he was a two-time MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year, but he remains one of the most unstoppable downhill players in the game.

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But there are elements of their games that separate their approaches.

Late into his career, James has evolved into a surprisingly adept 3-point shooter, while Antetokounmpo has now more or less abandoned shots beyond the arc (he's a pretty great mid-range jump shooter, however).

While both are good passers, James is truly a facilitator. Antetokounmpo can handle somewhat, but a lot of his solid passing numbers derive from him being able to find release valves when he's trapped by double teams on his own drives.

Adjusting to each player's style takes a learning curve, as ESPN's Ramona Shelbourne detailed recently during an appearance on "NBA Today."

Shelbourne used an interesting metric — a shared teammate — to unpack their differing influences.

“I think guys like Kyle Kuzma are going to be better,” Shelbourne said of the Bucks forward. “He needs to learn how to space and get open for Giannis."

Kuzma, of course, won a championship during just his second season playing alongside James on the Los Angeles Lakers, 2019-20.

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The 6-foot-9 Utah product was flipped to Milwaukee at the trade deadline from the Washington Wizards in a cost-cutting deal that allowed the Bucks to offload the contract of former All-Star wing Khris Middleton.

“It’s hard to learn in the middle of the year how to play with Giannis," Shelbourne observed. "He had to do it with LeBron. LeBron is a different animal to play with than Giannis.”

On paper, Kuzma is the kind of jump-shooting big man who could be an ideal fit for driving superstars like Antetokounmpo and James. But Kuzma was virtually unplayable for Milwaukee in the playoffs this spring, averaging just 5.8 points on .343/.200/.500 shooting splits and 2.2 rebounds in five games.