With one league MVP already under his belt, Milwaukee Bucks sensation Giannis Antetokounmpo is quickly becoming the face of the NBA. The versatile 7-foot, stat-stuffing machine has guided the Bucks to the best record in the Eastern Conference each of the last two seasons. With a 52-13 record and firm grip on the #1 seed, it looked like 2020 was going to be the year Milwaukee got to the Finals and over the hump. Then, a worldwide pandemic hit. Now that the season has resumed in the Orlando "Bubble", we shall see if the "Greek Freak" is poised to claim a second straight MVP and, better yet, lead his Bucks to the promised land for the first time since 1971.
Presented here is a spectacular pair of Giannis’ 2018-19 game worn Nike shoes that have been professionally photo-matched to an astounding 11 games during his first MVP campaign. Here’s how the Greek Freak did in those contests:
10/24 vs. 76ers – 32 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists, 2 steals, 3 blocks
10/26 at T-Wolves – 15 pts, 12 reb, 6 ast, 2 blk
10/27 vs. Magic – 21 pts, 7 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk
11/19 vs. Nuggets – 29 pts, 12 reb, 6 ast, 2 stl
12/1 at Knicks – 33 pts, 19 reb, 7 ast, 3 stl, 2 blk
12/7 vs. Warriors – 22 pts, 15 reb, 5 ast, 2 stl, 2 blk
12/9 at Raptors – 19 pts, 19 reb, 6 ast, 1 blk
12/12 at Pacers – 12 pts, 10 reb, 7 ast
12/21 at Celtics – 30 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk
12/22 at Heat – 9 pts, 13 reb, 3 ast, 2 blk
1/9 at Rockets – 27 pts, 21 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl
There’s not much more to say than WOW! Wearing these ‘Kobe Exodus’ sneakers, Giannis finished the season with insane averages of 27.7 points (57.8% FG), 12.5 boards, 5.9 dimes, 1.3 swats and one theft in under 33 minutes of action per game. His points and rebounds in 2019-20 have improved to 29.6 and 13.7, respectively.
The white shoes with green accents come in size 17 and are properly tagged on the interior. Kobe’s Sheath logo is on the outer tongue flap with Mamba’s initials “KBB” underneath. The coolest feature has to be Kobe's birthday "08-23-78" laid out over the left lace holders and Bryant's three jersey numbers since high school ("33", "08" and "24") on the right lace holders. "KO” and “BE” appears on the right heel and the Sheath is on the left heel, with Giannis’ motto “F.O.E.” (Family Over Everything) handwritten in black marker at the base of each heel. He has added “A man on God’s mission” along the base of the inner sides in black as well. These inscriptions proved crucial in matching the shoes to 11 games. Giannis has signed each shoe post-use on the outer body in 8/10 black pen. Heavy wear is evident inside and out – understandable given he wore these over a 2½ month span. His toes had worn through on the left shoe and there is some paint transfers and other contact marks. Aside from the insoles being removed, all elements are original. This is easily the best pair of Greek Freak gamers to be offered publicly and will demand a premium.
Comes with a letter of provenance from a former Knicks ball boy (not posted online due to his privacy request, but rest assured the original will be included). His collection is well-represented in this auction. LOA from Resolution Photomatching with details on the 11 matches. Beckett COA's for each autograph.