{"id":3631,"date":"2022-04-02T04:36:42","date_gmt":"2022-04-02T04:36:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linksus.net\/giannis-antetokounmpo-breaks-kareem-abdul-jabbars-milwaukee-bucks-scoring-record-usa-today\/"},"modified":"2022-04-02T04:36:42","modified_gmt":"2022-04-02T04:36:42","slug":"giannis-antetokounmpo-breaks-kareem-abdul-jabbars-milwaukee-bucks-scoring-record-usa-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/2022\/04\/02\/giannis-antetokounmpo-breaks-kareem-abdul-jabbars-milwaukee-bucks-scoring-record-usa-today\/","title":{"rendered":"Giannis Antetokounmpo breaks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's Milwaukee Bucks scoring record – USA TODAY"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK \u2014 Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted this one.\u00a0
As he compiled numbers and climbed over names in respective Milwaukee Bucks and NBA recorded histories these last few seasons, he has allowed himself to briefly recognize the moment before moving beyond it. But \u2013 but \u2013 never too far in advance. It\u2019s a mental tightrope he\u2019s become comfortable on.
This one, however, was different.
\u201cIt\u2019s cool,\u201d he acknowledged a few games before he broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar\u2019s franchise scoring mark Thursday night at the Barclays Center, which came on a step-back 3-pointer over Brooklyn center Andre Drummond\u00a0with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter to tie the game with the Nets 110-110.
\u201cHow many points 14,000-something? Ohhh! I\u2019m a bucket! I\u2019m a bucket! It\u2019s fun, you know?\u201d
So much so he had a scene play out in his head of how he wanted it to go.
\u201cI hope they stop the game so I can get the ball,\u201d he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel through a smile. \u201cProbably they won\u2019t. It is what it is. I want it to be like, you know when Kobe passed MJ? The whole game stopped and he took the ball and he was like\u2026\u201d
He lifted his hand high, cupping an imaginary ball, and he turned slowly to acknowledge an imaginary crowd.
\u201cI want to do the same.\u201d
Unfortunately, the game operations crew in Brooklyn did not mark that moment for him, and the ball remained in play. He finished Thursday’s game with 44 points, including the game-winning free throws with just three seconds to go in overtime.\u00a0
It took Antetokounmpo 652 games in nine seasons to surpass Abdul-Jabbar\u2019s mark of 14,211 points, set in 467 games over six seasons from 1969-1975. The 3-point shot didn\u2019t come into the NBA until 1979, so all of Abdul-Jabbar\u2019s points came via two-point field goals (5,902) and free throws (2,407).
\u201cGeez, that\u2019s insane,\u201d said Bucks center Brook Lopez, who came into the league in 2008 as a post-oriented center. He\u00a0attempted only seven 3-pointers in his first six years in scoring 6,168 of his franchise record-setting point total with the Nets.
He couldn\u2019t gather any more thoughts as he kept laughing at Abdul-Jabbar\u2019s total.
\u201cThat\u2019s so nuts. There was no 3-point line. I mean\u2026it\u2019s\u2026wow. 14,000 in six? That\u2019s insane. That\u2019s \u2026 you can\u2019t believe those numbers. That\u2019s wild.\u201d
Antetokounmpo eclipsed the mark in his ninth year with his 14th basket of the night.\u00a0At the moment he became the franchise leader in points, Antetokounmpo had made 4,704\u00a0two-point field goals, 445\u00a03-pointers and 3,471\u00a0free throws.
Both men were 27 years old when they set the records.
\u201cShout out and congratulations to Giannis because when all this is said and done,\u00a0is there such a thing as 1A and 1B in terms of the greatest players in the history of the franchise? And I think that\u2019s the way it will be viewed,\u201d said Hall of Famer Bob Dandridge, who played his first six seasons with Abdul-Jabbar. \u201cNeither one has been any more significant in the history of the ballclub. Unless Giannis can slip in there and win one or two more championships, then he may surface above Kareem!”
He laughed.
\u201cWe will see. But Giannis has surely been a tremendous credit to the organization.\u201d
Jon McGlocklin also played with Abdul-Jabbar and was the television analyst for the team through 2017.
\u201cIt\u2019s a remarkable story that I don\u2019t think is ever \u2013 I\u2019ve been associated with NBA 56 years \u2013 and I\u2019ve played against and with the great ones back in the early 60s, mid 60s, the 70s, and who came along even close to this story?\u201d McGlocklin said, his voice hitting a high pitch of incredulity. \u201cThat came out of left field and became what he\u2019s become. Never seen it.\u00a0You can\u2019t name anybody that was that much of a surprise and grew in the NBA. Because most of the great ones came in, even back then, with big credentials out of college. But not Giannis. It\u2019s a remarkable story.\u201d
Bucks all-star Khris Middleton, who has been there every step \u2013 and every point \u2013 along the way with Antetokounmpo, agreed.
\u201cThat\u2019s what makes it even better \u2013 he worked for all of this,\u201d he told the Journal Sentinel. \u201cHe believed in his skill set. He believed in himself. He believed in how great he could be and he worked for it. That\u2019s what it\u2019s all about. That\u2019s what makes his story even better. A lot of people \u2013 I wouldn\u2019t necessarily say counted him out \u2013 but didn\u2019t believe the potential that he actually had.\u201d
Lopez is the only other member of the Bucks to hold a franchise scoring record, as he scored 10,444 points in nine seasons with the Nets. He set the mark in 2017 while also on the road in Boston.
\u201cFor me, it was crazy,\u201d Lopez recalled to the Journal Sentinel. \u201cI grew up as a fan of the league and everything like that and to be a scoring leader for one of these teams is pretty wild \u2013 one of 30 teams. That\u2019s rarefied air. It was a great honor for me. It made me appreciate all the players I played with, the coaches that helped get me where I was to put me in those positions to succeed.
\u201cFor Giannis to be in the position he is, with this franchise, and Kareem\u2019s record \u2013 that\u2019s freakin\u2019 amazing. That speaks to the player he is.\u201d
Contact Jim Owczarski at jowczarski@jrn.com<\/a>. Follow him on Twitter<\/a>, Instagram<\/a> and Snapchat at @JimOwczarski or Facebook at facebook.com\/JOwczarski<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

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NEW YORK \u2014 Giannis Antetokounmpo wanted this one.\u00a0As he compiled numbers and climbed over names in respective Milwaukee Bucks and NBA recorded histories these last few seasons, he has allowed himself to briefly recognize the moment before moving beyond it. But \u2013 but \u2013 never too far in advance. It\u2019s a mental tightrope he\u2019s become […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":869,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3631"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3631\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}