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When Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked who he thought the best basketball player in the world was before the 2022-23 season, he didn’t hesitate in picking Stephen Curry. The choice came down to a very simple rule. “The guy who wins is the best,” Antetokounmpo claimed.
That is a rule that basketball fans have more or less abided by for the majority of NBA history. It’s not always as simple as picking the last Finals MVP, but broadly speaking, most of NBA history has included a widely-agreed upon alpha winning multiple championships in a relatively short stretch. Most of the time it’s a pretty simple matter to point to Michael Jordan or LeBron James as they’re ripping off titles and say “Yeah, he’s the best,” no matter what the flavor of the month is doing to oppose him.
But Antetokounmpo’s opinion on Curry is a fascinating insight into the concept of the best basketball player in the world, because only one year earlier, his own rule would have anointed him as the top dog.
In 2021, Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA championship in over 50 years by averaging roughly 30 points and 13 rebounds across four dominant rounds. He scored 50 points in the championship closeout game over the Phoenix Suns. This is standard “best player in the world” stuff.
