Alex is only 20 years old. He was ignored in the most recent NBA draft, but he is full of promise. His best-known brother, Giannis, one of the NBA’s dominant players, has previously said he could turn out to be better than him.
After the draft, I sat down to study my options. I was looking for the best place to continue my development. The Raptors and the 905 are a renowned player development organization so the choice was obvious
, he said.
The youngest Antetokounmpo did not come to Toronto to replicate the careers of his brothers. He wants, in fact, to make his own way, which he has already started to do. Last year, rather than joining an American university after graduating from high school, he played in a professional league in Spain.
I watch [mes frères] and I know they weren’t focused on their dreams, but rather on what they needed to do to achieve them. I’m going to go one day at a time and I’m hopeful that what I’m planning will follow
, he said on the sidelines of the 905 Raptors training camp in Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto.
Despite the spotlight on him, Alex keeps a cool head. He assures that bearing the name Antetokounmpo has only good sides. We are brothers. We have the same DNA. We share everything, but we are different players. We have different strengths and weaknesses
, he assesses.
NBA ne signifie pas que je m'entraîne fort. Je dois me concentrer sur moi-même","text":"S'entraîner avec le joueur par excellence de la NBA ne signifie pas que je m'entraîne fort. Je dois me concentrer sur moi-même"}}">Training with the NBA MVP doesn’t mean I train hard. I have to focus on myself
, adds the 20-year-old athlete. There is still an advantage. I see it everyday and have proof of what needs to be done, more than a lot of people can say.
Alex Antetokounmpo will play the 2021-2022 season with the 905 Raptors in the NBA Development League.
Photo : Twitter/Raptors 905
In Toronto, his new trainer, Patrick Mutombo, does not intend to give him special treatment or to draw inspiration from his brothers to establish his development plan.
I think it wouldn’t be fair to approach him as the brother of … No, that’s not our approach at all
, he explains.
To me, his name doesn’t matter. He can have that name, he can have Smith, whatever. He’s a player who writes his own story, who has his own possibilities and that’s how we approach it.
The Congolese does not deny that he is particularly touched by the story of the Antetokounmpo, a Nigerian family who immigrated to Greece where they fought against poverty to give their five children a better chance of success. Francis, the other boy in the siblings, is a professional soccer player in this country.
It’s a whole story they are writing and we are getting out of that context. We are not trying to group them. At worst, we forget his name. We treat him as Alex, with his own personality and his ambitions, which we try to develop.
extra work. He comes in the evening to shoot. He gets up early in the morning to work. And above all, he is young. He is still very young so he has a lot of room for improvement. Our [personnel] shows a lot of enthusiasm for what he brings “,” text “:” He wants to learn. He does a lot of extra work. He comes in the evening to shoot. He gets up early in the morning to work. And above all, he is young. He is still very young so he has a lot of room for improvement. Our [personnel] shows a lot of enthusiasm for what it brings “}}”>He wants to learn. He does a lot of extra work. He comes in the evening to shoot. He gets up early in the morning to work. And above all, he is young. He is still very young so he has a lot of room for improvement. Our [personnel] shows a lot of enthusiasm for what it brings
, he adds.
Mutombo, Antetokounmpo and the 905 Raptors will kick off their 2021-2022 season on November 11 at the Paramount Fine Foods Center in Mississauga.
