Started Off A Skinny Kid

On May 7, the Twitter account of Bucks MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was hacked. The hacker proceeded to tweet a series of vile, malicious and racist messages. 

It was one of those times where social media simply sucks.

While there are significant flaws and societal consequences of social media, there also are positives.

Growing up, what I knew about my favorite athletes was largely limited to what I read in newspapers and magazines, listened to on the radio and watched on TV.

Today, sports-loving kids can see messages, pictures and videos that come straight from their favorite athletes. After reading about what happened to Giannis’ twitter account, I spent some time checking out his social media game.

I was particularly drawn to his Instagram feed, but that’s hardly a scoop. The man does have 7.8 million followers.

With just a few clicks, you can see Giannis holding his baby on the beach, hanging out with his brothers and plenty of game action from the season. 

My favorite recent post was a 58-second video from an interview in February of 2013. You see Giannis seven years ago and he looks even younger than the teenager he is. You look at Giannis today, all 242 pounds of solid muscle, and marvel at how skinny and innocent he seemed.

A few months after that interview, the Bucks’ criminally underrated former GM John Hammond took that raw and undeveloped kid with the 15^th pick in the first round. That kid would become the MVP.

Before linking to the video, Giannis wrote on Instagram, “Started off a skinny kid and 7 years later I haven’t stopped working. Always believe in your dreams even if others think you’re crazy.”

Love how he stresses he hasn't stopped working. He’s only 25-years-old. Just imagine what the next seven years will bring?

The world is Giannis' canvas, and his magnum opus is still to come. Let’s clear the court for him now so Giannis can Euro Step us off.