Giannis Antetokounmpo Reacts To Dirk Nowitzki Not Wanting Mavs To Draft Him In 2013

Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn’t taken issue with Dirk Nowitzki over the German revealing that he discouraged the Dallas Mavericks from drafting him in 2013. Antetokounmpo was informed about Nowitzki’s comments by Rachel Nichols on Open Run and admitted he would have had doubts about drafting himself.

"I don’t know if I would have drafted myself back then," Antetokounmpo said.

Antetokounmpo was 6’9” on draft night and weighed around 196 pounds. The upside was obvious but he was a boom or bust pick. The Mavericks had the 13th pick in the draft and even though he was on the board, they played it safe by trading down.

The Bucks, meanwhile, took a gamble by selecting Antetokounmpo with the 15th pick and were rewarded for it. He has won a title, a Finals MVP, two MVPs, and a DPOY with the Bucks. The 30-year-old has also made eight All-Star teams, eight All-NBA teams, and five All-Defensive teams. 

Antetokounmpo has surpassed Nowitzki as well in the eyes of many when it comes to all-time rankings. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest players we have ever seen.

Getting back to this interview, Antetokounmpo went on to praise Nowitzki for his impact on the game of basketball.

"He was a great player, his legacy has been tremendous," Antetokounmpo stated. "He paved the path for a lot of players from Europe."

When Nichols stated that Nowitzki might just not be cut out for the GM role, Antetokounmpo had a hilarious response.

"Not all GMs in the league make the best decisions," Antetokounmpo said. "They didn't get me but they got Luka (Doncic). So, it's okay."

That's not a bad consolation prize. As for what Nowitzki had to say, you can check out his comments on the Thanalysis Show in August below.

"It's actually a funny story. I was in the draft room when Giannis was in the draft," Nowitzki said. "So, we had a pretty high pick because we didn't have a great season, and so one of our GMs is like, 'We need to draft Giannis.'

"He puts on the video, and it was this grainy footage from second division in Greece," Nowitzki added. "I'm like, 'What? This kid is this skinny.' I'm like, 'That is hilarious.' That just shows how far the game has come and the scouts seeing everybody now."

To be fair to Nowitzki, many in his position would have had a similar reaction. Even the Bucks themselves couldn't have known that Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 32.7 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game in 2024-25, would one day turn out to be this good.

Mark Cuban Spoke On The Mavericks Passing On Giannis Antetokounmpo

Former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban was asked about the team passing on Giannis during an appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast in September. Cuban had an interesting explanation for passing on Antetokounmpo and added they wouldn't have Doncic today if they picked him.

“Two different things. When Giannis was getting drafted, that’s when we passed. Because we had Dirk, and this was like 2013. We just won the championship two years ago."

"So one is, some of our people wanted to go with Giannis, I wanted to trade down and we ended up getting Shane Larkin. Not because of Shane, who could play, but we needed the cap room to go out and sign somebody to propel Dirk… Just the way it worked out. And if we got Giannis, we would never have gotten Luka.”

As Antetokounmpo himself stated, the Mavericks did eventually get a superstar of their own in Doncic, so that would have lessened the blow. They are both incredible players and their franchises are very lucky to have them.

While Doncic and the Mavericks are enjoying a mini-break right now, Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are getting ready for a titanic clash. They take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup final at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday at 8:30 PM ET.