Giannis Antetokounmpo is arguably the best NBA player around right now, but you’ll probably never hear him profess such a statement himself.
When the Milwaukee Bucks star guested on The Daily Show on Monday, host Hasan Minhaj tried to get him out of this shell a little bit. Minhaj wondered aloud why Antetokounmpo was so nice, despite him carrying the mantel as one of the faces of the NBA.
The conversation would turn to Minhaj convincing Antetokounmpo to read off some scripted trash talk about some of the league’s biggest superstars. And while Antetokounmpo would initially deliver, his trademark politeness prevented him from selling his roasts of guys like Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokic, and Kevin Durant.
In fact, much to the joking chagrin of Minhaj, Antetokounmpo hilariously walked back his trash talk of his peers almost immediately in each instance:
Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) has all the smoke for his NBA brethren Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić, and Kevin Durant 😂 pic.twitter.com/76w5wk0RHN
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) February 28, 2023
Amazing. It’s one thing to joke about your fellow NBA stars for comedy. It’s absolute comedic gold when you can’t even stick with the punchline and have to laugh your way through a compliment.
Try as he might, Minhaj couldn’t convince Antetokounmpo to break free of his usual nice precedent. And that’s what made this segment so perfect.