Giannis Antetokounmpo had some huge praise for LeBron James

Giannis Antetokoumpo was quick to heap praise on LeBron James.

The title of “best player in the NBA” right now is a two-horse race between Milwaukee Bucks MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Los Angeles Lakers legend LeBron James. While Giannis certainly has plenty of momentum in his favor, he was quick to take the high road and put LeBron ahead of him, invoking Kobe Bryant’s name while doing so.

During his media availability today, Giannis was quick to heap praise on LeBron, emphatically stating that he is still the best player in the league. With Giannis still not having signed the eye-watering max contract many expected he would agree to this offseason with Milwaukee, could this be a hint at Giannis’ preferred destination in 2021?

In that same interview, Giannis also mentioned that he would be “happy” if a superstar joined him in Milwaukee, implying that he doesn’t necessarily care about being the No. 1 option every night.

LeBron James might end up meeting Giannis in the postseason

Both the Bucks and Lakers look like the favorites in their respective divisions, as they both got provably better during this offseason. While the Bucks were able to add a legitimate third star in Jrue Holiday to pair with Giannis and Khris Middleton, the Lakers replaced Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo by signing Wesley Matthews, Marc Gasol, and reigning Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell.

Despite Giannis’ back-to-back MVP awards and LeBron’s status as the league’s marquee player, there hasn’t been much of a history between them, as infrequent meetings across conferences make it hard for the two to consistently face off against one another.

Even though Giannis has the edge in recent individual acclaim, LeBron is fresh off his fourth championship, and his superstar aura is shining as bright as it ever has. Giannis was wise to heap praise on James, although it didn’t do much to quell rumors he could leave Milwaukee.