Stephen A. Smith clears the air on Giannis Antetokounmpo underachiever label

“The way people took it, I don’t think people grasped what I was saying. I know that he’s an all-time great. There’s no denying it. Of course, he is; he’s phenomenal, and we get that part. I’m saying because he’s phenomenal, if the last title he won was in 2021, and he’s never going to win a title again, you’re gonna be like, ‘Damn, what happened?’ Because his talent warrants that,” Stephen A. remarked during his guesting at Gil’s Arena.

Smith stressed that he was not blaming Antetokounmpo in any way. Giannis has elevated his game each season and still stands as perhaps the top player in the Eastern Conference. The problem, Smith noted, is that while Giannis has remained steady, the pieces around him have crumbled.

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks

The Bucks gambled by dealing Jrue Holiday for Damian Lillard. Khris Middleton’s injuries caught up to him, resulting in a move for Kyle Kuzma. Brook Lopez began to slow down as age set in. All the while, Milwaukee struggled to surround Antetokounmpo with a group capable of chasing another championship.

“But what I’m saying is that when you’re Giannis Antetokounmpo, as great as phenomenal as you are, although it’s through no fault of your own, it’s hard to imagine you won a title and other than that, you’ve been going home in the first round? That’s underachieving,” Smith continued.

Reflecting on Stephen A.’s comments, he noted on “First Take” in June that if Giannis were to retire today, many would view him as an underachiever since he hasn’t captured another title since 2021. At the same time, Smith made it clear that the lack of success was not Antetokounmpo’s fault.

“You don’t look at somebody that dominant, that fantastic, with that kind of fire in his belly to compete on a night-in and night-out basis, and all you have is one championship to show for it. He’s got one playoff series win in the last four years. Ain’t his fault. He’s hurt a couple of times. Got upset by Miami and Jimmy Butler; Jimmy and the crew gave it to him, no doubt. But this year, Damian Lillard goes down and you lose to Indiana,” Smith commented during First Take.

Stephen A.’s perspective makes sense. With Giannis playing at such a high level, not winning another championship would seem like a squandered use of his ability. Yet it remains challenging to distinguish the label of underachiever from the issue of who actually bears the blame.