Giannis Says Bucks 'Don't Get as Much Respect,' Talks All-Star Game Snubs

Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the NBA's best team and is an overwhelming favorite to win his second straight MVP. 

Now he wants his teammates to get adequate respect.

Antetokounmpo spoke to reporters Friday, saying he felt teammate Eric Bledsoe was deserving of making the All-Star team.

"I want to be honest. I feel like at times that we don't get as much respect and it's OK, we haven't earned anything, at the end of the day," Antetokounmpo said. "I think (Eric Bledsoe) should've made the team. We have a great team. We have guys that don't play a lot of minutes.

"Bled could average 20-25 points if we actually played a lot of minutes but we didn't. He's sacrificed also, a lot for this team and is one of our leaders," he continued. "Not just Bled, and Brook (Lopez) also. I wanted Bled to be on the team, the whole team wanted Bled to be on the team because he's definitely deserving, but this team is unselfish. Guys that are on this team, they just play to win and even though he did not make it, he's going to come out tonight and for the rest of the season give his best and help this team be successful."

Antetokounmpo has a point about national respect for his team. The Bucks are currently on a 71-win pace with a point differential that ranks among the best in NBA history but have been on the outskirts of the national conversation that has focused heavily on the pair of Los Angeles teams. It seems like Milwaukee is a "quiet" 41-6, which is eye-opening given the two-way brilliance and presence of the game's best player.

On the Bledsoe point, Giannis was mostly just being a good teammate. There isn't much of a statistical merit to Bledsoe being an All-Star, even in the Eastern Conference. While it's good for the long-term outlook of the Bucks that Bledsoe plays only 26.3 minutes per game, the All-Star Game is an individual honor. There are a number of players who carry a larger load on a nightly basis; Bradley Beal has a far better case for his frustration at not being selected.

The Bucks got a second All-Star with Khris Middleton, which feels like a justified amount. This is a team with one shining star, a solid secondary star and then a group of really good but non-All-Star players who comprise the best sum of the parts in the NBA.