History was made in the game between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. In the third quarter, forward Giannis Antetokounmpo became the sixth-youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 career points.
He became the 56th overall player in NBA history to achieve this milestone, scoring 32 points and grabbing 15 rebounds while shooting 65% from the field in a 137-107 victory.
After the game, Antetokounmpo reflected on this significant moment. During the postgame press conference, he expressed pride in how far he has come but emphasized that there is still much more work to be done.
"I always look back at myself, and I don't want to say I get emotional, but it's a good feeling," Antetokounmpo said. "I'm proud of the journey, but I have so much more to give."
The five players who achieved this milestone at a younger age than Antetokounmpo are LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Wilt Chamberlain. All five of them have gone on to score at least 30,000 points, with James surpassing 40,000. Antetokounmpo did not hesitate to state that he will also hit that milestone.
"I will get there," Antetokounmpo said. "For sure, 1000%. I'm going to get there. I don't know how I will do it but I'm going to show up every single day and I'm going to do it."
Antetokounmpo acknowledged that achieving individual milestones is not his primary goal; instead, he is more focused on winning. He believes a player's legacy is more respected when it includes championships rather than individual statistics. As he gets older, his emphasis is increasingly on pursuing victories.
While reaching this significant individual milestone is noteworthy, it also contributed to another win for the Bucks. Milwaukee has now secured nine victories in its last 12 games, placing them as the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference. They are four games behind the No. 3 seed but only two games ahead of potentially dropping to the No. 6 seed.
Antetokounmpo and his teammates are determined to maintain their hot streak and climb higher in the NBA standings.
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This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 10:03 AM.