Giannis Antetokounmpo arrived in Miami to join the NBA's Heat on Thursday taking inspiration from Lionel Messi, a sporting legend who launched his own new chapter of success with a move to South Florida.
Antetokounmpo, the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player from Greece who led the Milwaukee Bucks to the 2021 title, said Messi was the kind of player -- like LeBron James -- who produced the "blueprint" for sporting greatness.
"You've just got to follow," he said. "It's hard. You have to be disciplined. You have to be dedicated to your craft. But it's there. And if you want to follow, you follow. If you don't want to follow, you go home."
Antetokounmpo watched Messi and Argentina book their place in the World Cup final with a victory over England on Wednesday in Atlanta.
Then he headed to Miami to be introduced on Thursday as the Heat's newest star in the wake of his trade from the Bucks.
"I was thinking about his path," Antetokounmpo said, recalling Messi's trajectory from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain and, in 2023, to Major League Soccer's Inter Miami in a move that many predicted would see him fade from the elite scene.
Instead the 39-year-old is on the cusp of a second straight World Cup crown.
"Messi might go down as one of the best athletes of all time," Antetokounmpo said as he catalogued the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner's litany of Spanish and French league titles and Champions League successes, all followed by a star turn in MLS that has so far included an MLS Cup crown and two MVP awards.
"He might have two World Cup Finals wins," Antetokounmpo said.
"When you see that, you get inspired. You definitely get inspired to take care of your body, to keep doing the right thing for your team."
Antetokounmpo said he was particularly struck by a moment in Wednesday's win over England when Messi took a shove and hit the ground.
"And then you could see all of his teammates sprinted to help him out," Antetokounmpo said. "You have to earn that. The respect that he has from his team-mates, that's earned ... hopefully in my career I'm able to do something like that."
bb/rcw
© Agence France-Presse
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