Giannis is Giannis is Giannis
We have a strong urge to categorize. It’s what humans have been doing for as long as we’ve existed. We categorize everything. Food. Music. Movies. Television. Schools. And of course, people. Especially athletes.
We judge people based on the most superficial aspects of life. Appearance. Height. Weight. Skin color. Voice. We do most of this subconsciously. It makes life easier to deal with. Each person or object that appears in our vision goes into a recognizable place. Our brains want to place the new thing in the familiar space. As sports fans, we watch athletes and see the limits of human possibility. Of tenacity mixed with ability. Of blinding speed and unbelievable hops.
Which brings us to The Block.
Giannis Antetokuonmpo plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, who are in the NBA Finals right now. NBA lovers watch lots of basketball. Those of us who have watched for decades have seen most of the plays NBA players can make. Still, the improvisational nature of the game lends itself to unpredictability. Watching this particular play…there are few familiar plays to connect it to. And few players that seem capable of even attempting this block.
Here it is, with Giannis’ commentary.
With the Bucks in desperate need of a stop, up 101–99 with 1:30 left in Game 4, Giannis made a beautifully impossible play, stopping DeAndre Ayton’s alley-oop dunk attempt at the rim. Well…about two feet above the rim. Devin Booker made a good pass, but it was just high enough to be a tough catch. Ayton caught it at the apex of his leap and the space gave Giannis just enough time to meet him in front of the rim. It will go down as one of the best blocked shots in NBA Finals history…and it just so happened to save Game 4 for the Bucks, who have now evened up the series 2–2.
Giannis has been dubbed “The Greek Freak” because it is simple and it rhymes and he is very hard to categorize. The term is supposed to be complimentary. “Freaks,” “Beasts,” and “Unicorns” are the popular monikers given to athletes who most sports…
