The only two comps for this Dame-Giannis super duo
What history reveals about NBA75 guys pairing up at this age.
The Milwaukee Bucks are now the heavy favorites to win the NBA title. And with good reason.
Two all-time greats are coming together on the back-nine of their careers and trying to win a championship … wait, has this ever happened?
(Yes, I said back-nine. Giannis will be playing his ELEVENTH season in the league, which is more seasons than the Hall of Fame careers of big men Bill Walton, Willis Reed and Yao Ming).
The Giannis-Dame duo (are we officially calling it Freak Time?) isn’t quite LeBron James and Chris Bosh taking their talents to South Beach to join Dwyane Wade. That was a triumvirate. It’s not exactly Shaq joining Kobe because the Laker legends were much, much younger than Lillard and Antetokounmpo are now.
Here’s what I’m setting out to find:
Two NBA75 players who joined forces via trade.
Both players at least 10 seasons into their career.
Both players are coming off either an All-Star season or All-NBA season
Not a third NBA75 player or similar caliber player on the team in their prime.
That would check off all the boxes for Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo (sorry, Khris Middleton, you’re not on their level).
So who makes the cut? And what does it tell us about the Bucks’ title hopes going forward?
Here’s what I found.