Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't play college basketball, but he would have loved the opportunity to play for Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils.
In an interview with For The Win, Antetokounmpo named Duke as the program he most wanted to play for, and he had some interesting reasoning. Antetokounmpo said Dukel knows how to develop unique ball-handling big men like himself, and the school's academic reputation would be an added bonus.
"Definitely Duke," Antetokounmpo said. "I like Duke because of the players that came out of that program. You usually see a lot of four men that don't fit the mold. I think I'm one of those guys. I'm 6'11" and I can handle the ball and pass and get in the paint. You see players like that who came out of that program: Zion Williamson, Jabari Parker, Jayson Tatum, and Brandon Ingram. Not only are they very good basketball-wise but academically it's also a great school."
Under Coach K, the Blue Devils were a perennial national title contender in college basketball for four decades, and giving them a player of Antetokounmpo's caliber would have been borderline unfair.
Antetokounmpo, who played in Greece until entering the 2013 NBA Draft, said Old Dominion was the only scholarship offer he received. Despite that, things seem to have worked out well for Antetokounmpo in the NBA. The seven-time All-Star and two-time MVP led the Bucks to an NBA title in 2021.
