Strong for Giannis: ‘I respect him because he won the championship the right way’

John Starkes was the Knicks favorite on the — always challenging — podium in the ’90s. He always pays attention to his words and speaks without a filter. And he didn’t fail to add his name to the vast list of veteran players who adored Giannis Antetokounbo.

The veteran guard had nothing but good things to say about speaking with Greek Freak ‘Pick n’ Roll’ show by Vassilis Skountis, who says the Bucks star deserved his respect for the way he worked but also for winning the championship the right way.

John Starkes explained at length:

For what he’s doing right now: “I work for Knicks in public relations. I’m the face of organization in the New York community.

I make public appearances in schools and organizations. I also visit the suites during the Knicks and take photos, I appear on the floor during the game and generally everything the team needs from me. That’s my role since 2004.”

For the documentary about his life: “We shot this documentary eight to nine years ago. It is the story of my life with its ups and downs in my youth, it shows the structure of my family and the difficulties I faced to get where I got to. I think it’s a good story for the audience because many have told me that they were inspired by my life’s journey and I thought it was a good way to help other people.

It’s weird when you try to do something out of the ordinary because I’m not used to it. It took me a lot of effort to accept this idea. When I was told that your life story can influence and help many people, I accepted the offer.

Yes, there are definitely clips from “Nailing”. That nailing made me famous back there in 1993 finishing the playoff stage against Jordans with Horace Grant in the stage looking so beautiful.

For Giannis Antetokounbo: “I would not enter before him. I couldn’t stop him. It’s 2.10 and I’m 1.82. He is strong and looks like a bull. I weigh 80 kg and he over 110 kg. I don’t even want to think about it.

He’s a special player. He’s working hard to become a good shooter, he’s been trying to get a little further out of the basket this season, threatens a three-point shot, he’s improved from the free-throw line.

As a former player, he has earned my respect. Because he got the championship the right way. He didn’t try to find other teams and players for it. He didn’t say, “Give me some players and I’ll take them to the Promised Land.”

He has trained his body and with the pounds he has put on he has prepared it properly to be able to do what he wanted on the pitch. That makes him special. He worked hard and often talks about growing up and the difficulties he faced as a child. He didn’t miss the opportunity.

He recognizes that nothing should be taken for granted and is constantly working to make it better. That’s what makes him so special. “As a former player, I can’t disregard him for his performances on the pitch because he won the league the right way.”

He even chases a curse on the team for the Knicks: “No, we weren’t a damn group. It has everything to do with the process, with the goal of changing things.

The first question of this process is to have a good coach with the right mentality. I think we have it with Tom Thibundo. I think before him we had lost our true identity. What distinguished us as a city, but also as a team, was our toughness.

Then when we tried to catch the train, we became a team that scored three points. We have forgotten our principles. If you don’t shoot threesomes in this town…you won’t have a good time, dude. Maybe in another city you don’t have a problem and just get applauded. This is not the case in New York.

I think we need to go back to the way we used to play. Our fans want to see tenacity and commitment every night. They can live with wins and losses, but they cannot tolerate the team shooting three-pointers and not playing defense. That doesn’t work in New York.”