Antetokounmpo finds inspiration in Messi's journey

Giannis Antetokounmpo arrived in Miami to join the NBA's Heat on Thursday. He took inspiration from Lionel Messi, a sports legend who started his own path to success by moving to South Florida.

Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player from Greece, led the Milwaukee Bucks to the 2021 championship. He said Messi is a player, like LeBron James, who showed the way to sporting greatness.

"You've just got to follow," he said. "It's hard. You have to be disciplined. You have to be dedicated to your craft. But it's there. And if you want to follow, you follow. If you don't want to follow, you go home."

Antetokounmpo watched Messi and Argentina secure their place in the World Cup final by beating England on Wednesday in Atlanta. Then he went to Miami to be introduced on Thursday as the Heat's new star after his trade from the Bucks.

"I was thinking about his path," Antetokounmpo said. He remembered Messi's journey from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain and then to Major League Soccer's Inter Miami in 2023. Many thought this move would make him less relevant.

But the 39-year-old is close to winning a second World Cup title. "Messi might go down as one of the best athletes of all time," Antetokounmpo said. He listed Messi's eight Ballon d'Or awards, his Spanish and French league titles, and Champions League wins, along with his success in MLS, which includes an MLS Cup and two MVP awards.

"He might have two World Cup Finals wins," Antetokounmpo added. "When you see that, you get inspired. You definitely get inspired to take care of your body, to keep doing the right thing for your team."

Antetokounmpo was particularly moved by a moment in Wednesday's match against England. Messi took a hit and fell to the ground.

"And then you could see all of his teammates sprinted to help him out," Antetokounmpo said. "You have to earn that. The respect that he has from his teammates, that's earned. Hopefully in my career, I'm able to do something like that."