Giannis Antetokounmpo's Five-Word Joke About the NBA Dunk Contest

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt De Lima | Last updated Feb 15, 2025 3:58 PM ET

The Milwaukee Bucks were founded in 1968. The franchise has been blessed with supreme talents like Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Ray Allen, Bob Dandridge, Sidney Moncrief, Bob Lanier, Glenn Robinson, Damian Lillard and of course, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

However, Milwaukee has never had a player win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, which dates back to 1984. But that could change in the 2024-25 season, as Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. will participate in the contest.

In a social media message, Jackson explained that he wanted to win the event, especially after hearing that nobody from the Bucks had ever won it. In response to his teammate's declaration, Antetokounmpo shared a five-word message about his 2015 Slam Dunk Contest performance.

I came close one year https://t.co/61KZ4HfJy2
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) February 15, 2025

"I came close one year ," said "The Greek Freak."

Antetokounmpo is actually being sarcastic in his post because he didn't come close to winning at all. He didn't complete any of the attempts on his first dunk, finishing with a score of 30. On his second dunk, he scored 35 points, giving him a total of 65. He didn't advance to the next round.

That year, Zach LaVine, then with the Minnesota Timberwolves, won the contest, the first of back-to-back Slam Dunk Contest wins. LaVine is one of seven Slam Dunk Contest champions to win the event multiple times.

Jackson is competing in this year's Slam Dunk Contest against Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis, San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle and Orlando Magic guard Mac McClung, the two-time defending champ.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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