Good is the enemy of great. Good is fine. Good is what most of us strive for. But it is only when we push ourselves to be better than good – or even very good – can we come close to being great.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is someone who doesn’t settle for good. Giannis Antetokounmpo strives to be great. “If there is something that doesn’t make me better as a person, as a father, or as a basketball player, then I’m not doing it,” Antetokounmpo tells us with a steely determination in his eyes.
Due to a rare combination of exceptional speed and agility for someone who stands 6’11” tall, Antetokounmpo is affectionately known as the ‘Greek Freak’. But he is also aware that success cannot rely on his physical attributes alone. To be great, he knows he must continually improve.
“A couple of years ago, I made the commitment to only focus on things that will make me better. At this point in my life I need to commit to being the best basketball player in the world. That is where greatness is,” he says. “I have to sacrifice a lot to do that, but that is me. Not everyone is like me.”
It is this winning mindset that has propelled the Greek basketball star to global fame. In 2019 the Milwaukee Bucks’ player was voted the NBA’s ‘Most Valuable Player’, but the personal accolade was not enough, so he followed it up the next year by leading his team to the NBA Championship – the Bucks’ first in 50 years.
While his sporting accomplishments have given him global recognition, it was his constant commitment to improve that inspired Swiss watchmaker, Breitling, to add him to its star-studded roster of brand ambassadors, or ‘squads’ as they are referred to.
In early 2022, he joined the likes of Brad Pitt, Kelly Slater and Charlize Theron as one of the many famous faces of the lifestyle-focused watch brand, making up part of Breitling’s ‘all-star squad’, alongside other superlative athletes Erling Haaland, Chloe Kim, and Trevor Lawrence. Since then Antetokounmpo has already appeared in campaigns for Breitling’s Navitimer and Chronomat collections.
“Both are great but, honestly, I love the Navitimer,” he says when pushed on picking his favourite between the two styles. “It’s special to me because it was the first campaign we did together. Actually, I have a funny story about it, because one of my teammates, Sandro Mamukelashvili, basically tried to steal my first Navitimer from me! He kept putting it on and asking if he could keep it. Eventually, I ended up saying ‘yes’,” he laughs.
It’s a demonstration of the level of selflessness that Antetokounmpo brings to the team, due to his role as a locker room leader. “When I’m on the court I zone everything else out. I am there to work, I am there to improve, and I am there to accomplish something, without making excuses,” he says. “I expect the same commitment from my teammates. Every time we step on the court, we are ready to go to war together.”
In short, being good is good, but being great comes with great responsibility. It comes with a personal selfishness that is required by the very best, but one that can help inspire others around to achieve greater. “My father taught me to always want more, but never be greedy. That is something I think about every day,” he says.
It is a mantra that is quite telling to the man that Giannis Antetokounmpo is, but, to use his own words, not everyone is like Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a member of the Breitling all-star squad.