data-mm-id=”_6pd9fg3v1″>Like the rest of us, Giannis Antetokounmpo has no choice but to marvel at what LeBron James is doing this season. The young Buck said he was inspired by the 35-year-old's ability to bring it each and every night and compete with Antetokounmpo for MVP honors. It was enough to make this mid-30s sports blogger's eyes water. Finally, the younger generation is understanding the beauty of aging gracefully. Giannis on inspired by LeBron: “It’s amazing. He’s 35 and playing at a high level. He just leads the path for us. A lot of times we think that ‘Ok, we’re going to retire at 35, but seeing a guy at 35, being still top-3 best player in the world, that makes us want to be there.” pic.twitter.com/47Qf4Ixgba— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) March 5, 2020James has been an athletic freak since he was a teen. Antetokounmpo's nickname tells you he is as well. Now 25, the 6-foot-11 superstar is enjoying his finest NBA season and has seemingly tapped into an efficiency sweet spot for Milwaukee. With the necessary caveat that he stays healthy, Antetokounmpo is likely to have a Hall of Fame career and has a realistic shot to become one of the top dozen or so players of all time. He'll turn 35 in 2030 in his 17th NBA season, just like James. It's incredible to think of all he could accomplish between now and then, and all that James has done in a decade's time. Part of James' excellence has been adapting his game, which he continues to do. He's shooting more threes and has turned himself into the league's assist leader. He's paired his unmatched talent with critical thinking. Antetokounmpo has shown a willingness to do that, making the perimeter jumper an even bigger part of his attack. Giannis is launching 4.7 three-point tries this year, up from 2.6 last year. He still struggles with consistency, clocking in at shy of 31 percent. But if he's ever to get to 35 percent — or, God, 38-40 — we will be looking at an unstoppable force. The Greek Freak is a unique kinetic experiment. Though he oftentimes makes one forget, he's bound by the limitations of the human body. Figuring out a way to keep his legs healthy in the long run is essential and, conceivably, more jump-shooting would help those efforts. Still, his greatest attribute figures to always be an ability to go in a straight line from Point A to Point B, where Point B is the basket. We rarely now see him with his back to the basket, which would be a reasonable way to age. But there's the question of if that brand of low-post play will ever return to the NBA. And that's illustrative. Part of the reason it's so hard to imagine what Antetokounmpo will be when he reaches James' current age of 35 is because it's so hard to imagine the direction basketball will take. Will it be even more reliant on small ball? Will bigs have a resurgence? Can Antetokounmpo's value actually go up? Will it go down? How much should the Bucks or whatever team he ends up on down the road let style dictate how they use such a special piece?Giannis' future is bright enough to blind. Yet it's tough to make out what it looks like a decade from now.
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Karl-Heinz Rummenigge will retire as Bayern Munich chief executive and Oliver Kahn will replace him on July 1.
Bayern and Germany legend Rummenigge spent 10 years with the Bundesliga champions as a player and was appointed as a vice president of the Bavarian giants back in 1991.
Rummenigge took over as chairman in 2002 and oversaw a hugely successful spell in the history of one of the biggest clubs in the world.
The 65-year-old was contracted until the end of the year, but has decided to step down and former Bayern goalkeeper Kahn will be his successor.
Rummenigge told the club s official website: It is the strategically most sensible and logical point in time. It s the end of the financial year, and a new section begins with a new team of coaches.
…
Market: Hibernian draw no bet
Odds: 5/6 @
Looking to extend on their recent purple patch this weekend, Hibernian will make the trip to a struggling Livingston on Saturday afternoon.
Starting with the hosts, while Livingston might have claimed a much-needed 3-1 victory against Kilmarnock last month, it appears that was nothing more than a minor boost for David Martindale s downbeat squad. Last seen putting in another toothless display as they were hit with a 1-0 loss away at Aberdeen, the Lions are enduring a rather public Premiership nightmare. Slipping their way out of the top-six and facing what could be another tough test this weekend, Saturday s hosts have now lost four of their previous five matchups across all formats. With that run highlighted by back-to-…
Newcastle United won a hugely important clash against Southampton on Saturday and now the Magpies are assured of another Premier League season. Matt Ritchie could part of it once again, but the rumours have started about his potential move away from the St James Park. The player himself thinks differently.
There has been two or three windows where there has been speculation about my future, Ritchie told Football Focus. All I can say is that I m enjoying my football here, I love the pressure the football club brings. Until someone tells me otherwise that my services are no longer required I ll be giving everything that I possibly can.
The main rumour was a swap between Newcastle and Bournemouth, where he would go to the Vitality Stadium, while Ryan Fraser wo…
The Premier League has been left disappointed by the decision to reject a trial period for introducing temporary substitutes for concussion.
The competition, alongside club doctors and the Professional Footballers Association, had petitioned the International Football Association Board on the matter.
But at its annual conference in London, IFAB elected not to immediately approve the idea, although it remains a possibility further down the line.
The decision has frustrated the Premier League, which, in a widely reported statement, expressed concerns.
We cannot understand the basis for which it has not been approved, the Premier League statement read.
We are disappointed that a temporary concussion substitute trial was not approved considering all…
England boss Roy Hodgson opting against the pace of Jamie Vardy, while impact players Ross Barkley, Marcus Rashford and Daniel Sturridge were unused substitutes.
England conceded a late equaliser to Russia in their opening Euro 2016 Group B game at the Stade Vélodrome, and manager Roy Hodgson saw his questionable decision-making for a number of substitutions ultimately backfire due to the Three Lions’ inability to see the game out.
Rooney subbed, Kane Sterling given too many minutes?
Jack Wilshere and James Milner were brought on the second-half for Wayne Rooney and Raheem Sterling respectively, but many felt the likes of Jamie Vardy should not have been overlooked given the poor performance of Harry Kane in attack. In the final stages of the game, England we…
West Ham have announced record pre-tax profits of £10.3million for the year ending May 31.
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West Ham revealed that revenue increased to an all-time high, as turnover rose to £114.8m from £89.8m 12 months ago thanks in no small part to a new broadcast deal.
Sam Allardyce guided West Ham out of trouble last season and they have exceeded expectations so far in the 2014-15 campaign.
Joint-Chairman David Sullivan told the club s official website: My Board and I are satisfied with the achievements we have made in the 2013-14 season, the highlights for us being retaining our Premier League status…
The European Championship kicks-off tomorrow evening and it promises to be one of the most entertaining in years.
Seven out of the top 10 teams in FIFA’s world ranking will take part in the tournament, which will make it even harder to win.
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However, the European Championships has produced some major surprises down the years, think Denmark 1992 or Greece 2004.
This Euro’s contains no really weak teams and none of the big guns can underestimate the so called ‘underdogs’. Even the lowest ranked team in the competition Poland will have their home fans behind them, and as history has shown home support can spur a team on in major tournament…
Liverpool have joined the race to sign winger Milos Krasic from Juventus, .
The Serbian international is desperate to leave the Bianconceri after barely featuring for Antonio Conte’s side this season.
He was linked with a move to English Premier League last January, but eventually opted against leaving Turin on loan.
Daily Mail now reveals that Liverpool are one of the clubs showing interest in the 27-year-old as new boss Brendan Rodgers believes the Serb would be a good addition to the squad.
The Reds could face a stiff competition for the player’s signature, seeing that both Manchester United and Tottenham are keen.
Krasic made a €15 million switch to Juventus from CSKA in August 2010 and quickly became an important player for the Biancon…
Catalan super club did fairly well in the January transfer window, mainly due to the fact that they finally managed to secure the services of a certain Philipe Coutinho from Premier League giants Liverpool.
Interestingly however he wasn t the only big name signing they were intending on making, but the Blaugrana will now wait until the summer to bring in defender David Alaba, according to .
The Austrian international is in his ninth season with Bayern, and is looking secure his seventh Bundesliga title at the end of this campaign. The German giants currently lead the league by 16 points over Bayer Leverkusen, and thus look set to continue their dominance.
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Highly rated Racing Club striker Lautaro Martinez is closing in on a move to Inter which could cost in excess of €27 million, the Argentinian club s president has revealed.
The 20-year-old had long been tipped to join Atletico Madrid, with Diego Simeone a former player and coach of Racing said to be a big admirer.
But negotiations failed to progress with the Spanish side after Atletico angered Racing by allegedly putting Martinez through an unauthorised medical, meaning he remained in Argentina following the transfer deadline in LaLiga.
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