CHAPTER 1 THE GAME CHANGER Giannis Antetokounmpo was playing for his father It was that simple on the night of October 21 2017 Antetokounmpo had recently lost his dad to an unexpected heart attack The memory of his father weighed heavily on his mind as the Milwaukee Bucks took on the Portland Trail Blazers Antetokounmpo pumps his fist after making a big basket against the Trail Blazers 5
The Bucks were down by one point with only 31 seconds left in the game Antetokounmpo had already scored 42 points It was a career-best night for him Now he stood at the free-throw line with the chance to put his team in the lead But he missed his first shot Then he missed his second Antetokounmpo refused to let it end that way In the game’s final 30 seconds he took control First he stripped the ball away from Blazers guard C J McCollum Then he outraced three Portland defenders and swooped in for a slam dunk The Bucks were up by one point with 11 seconds left 6
Antetokounmpo takes the ball to the hoop during a 2017 game against the Trail Blazers The Blazers had one last chance to win The Blazers had one last chance to win the game One of their players drove to the basket But Antetokounmpo met him there with a monster block to finish off his amazing night The Bucks tacked on two free throws in the final seconds and won the game 113 110 7
