It cannot be compared to taking over the game during a basketball athlete’s NBA Finals matchup.
Oklahoma City Thunder’s Jalen Williams did it in a match-five showdown against the Indiana Pacers.
Williams finished the night with 40 points as the Thunder won 120-109 to get a 3-2 lead in the 2025 NBA Finals.
It was a dominant performance, right? Well, that still pales in comparison to what Giannis Antetocomo did against the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2021 NBA Finals.
During the 2021 NBA playoffs, Antetokounmpo eventually ended the 50-year Bucks championship drought.
The Greek freaks were unable to stop as they averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game during the NBA Finals.
Giannis scored on will throughout the series. This included three games with 40 or more points against the Suns.
To put things in perspective, Williams’ Game 5 scoring explosion was just his third 40-point performance in the NBA Finals since 2021.
The other two? Stephen Curry in Game 4 (43 points) of the 2022 NBA Finals and Nikola Jokic in Game 2 (41 points) of the 2023 NBA Finals.
Antetokounmpo was on the mission during the 2021 postseason as he couldn’t fit into his incredible scoring run, either Curry, Williams or even Jokic.
It marked the third consecutive year in a row when the franchise faced an elimination in the opening round as the Bucks struggled with another first round exit.
Since then, NBA Rumor Mill has been filled with potential moves where Antetokounmpo begins a new chapter in his career.
Among them is his former teammate Jeff Teague, who believes Giannis will demand a trade to make a shot to win another NBA championship.
Meanwhile, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst is not sure Antetokounmpo will still be traded.
So far, Giannis has not officially sought a deal from the Bucks, but rumors about his desire to leave the team continue to spread on social media.