Giannis humble after outdueling AD, LeBron: 'I wasn't supposed to be here'

Giannis Antetokounmpo's rise to superstardom hasn't come at the cost of his modesty.

Following the Milwaukee Bucks' 111-104 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday, a game in which Antetokounmpo outdueled fellow stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the reigning MVP reflected on the surreal circumstances he finds himself in.

"I wasn't the No. 1 pick. (Davis) was. LeBron was. I wasn't supposed to be here," Antetokounmpo said postgame, according to ESPN's Eric Woodyard. "I'm not supposed to go against these two beasts, so I'm just happy that I'm here and happy that I'm going through the process, and I always want to be better, do better for my team, and that's what gives me joy."

Antetokounmpo, who was drafted 15th overall by Milwaukee in 2013, has added a more reliable jump shot to his already vast repertoire. The 25-year-old set a new career high with five 3-pointers in Thursday's win, bringing his season average up to a respectable 33.8% from deep on 5.2 attempts per game. The Greek Freak entered this season connecting on just 27.7% of his 794 career attempts.

While his jumper won't always fall as frequently as it did Thursday, Antetokounmpo understands he must continue to be a willing shooter if the Bucks are to reach their ceiling.

"I'm going to keep shooting. It doesn't matter for me if I made one, two or five, I just want to be better," Antetokounmpo said. He added, "It's going to be some nights that I'm going to make zero and it'll be nights I'll make five, but I've got to keep shooting because that's what my team wants me to do."

Antetokounmpo finished Thursday's contest with 34 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists as Milwaukee improved to an NBA-best 25-4.