The stardom of Giannis Antetokounmpo is just beginning, both on and off the floor.

The Milwaukee Bucks took a considerable leap forward last season, and their collection of young talent was fun to watch. Although they lost in the first round to the more-established Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee showed a glimpse of what’s to come. Leading their charge to the playoffs was none other than Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Greek Freak has transformed into an MVP candidate and is one of the most athletically-gifted players the NBA has ever seen. He had career-highs in nearly every offensive category last year en route to becoming the NBA’s Most Improved Player and making his first All-Star team. The 6-11 position-less wonder led the Bucks in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and steals per game, a feat we’ve seen just four times; the last instance was LeBron James in 2008-2009.

Better yet, he was the first player ever to finish in the top 20 in all those statistics, again per NBA.com staff. To say that this guy is special is an understatement. Other than the King, I wouldn’t want to watch anyone else play the game of basketball.

The reason for his meteoric climb to superstardom could be Antetokounmpo’s international impact. If you haven’t seen how he got here, here’s a clip pinned to his Twitter page.

It’s pretty neat. I recommend watching the short blurb about Giannis’ journey to the league. Now, onto the potential sneaker line. According to ESPN’s Nick DePaula, Antetokounmpo should be signing a considerably large shoe contract, as his agreement with Nike concludes in September. The Freak is making just $25,000 to sport the brand’s sneakers, and his demand is reportedly in line with Kristaps Porzingis.

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The Latvian star has a base pay of $5 million but that can rise to more than $7 million after accounting for incentives, per DePaula. The Greek Freak’s market value is believed to be in the $7-10 million area, and all the big players will see him as a hot commodity.

In my opinion, Giannis should side with the Zinger, and play off the international influence of Adidas. Nike has most of the stars in the league, and Antetokounmpo has already established himself to be unlike other people — based on his skill set and his personality — so why not march to the beat of a different drum and go with Adidas?

This guy could eventually be the best player in the world, and I think following the status quo and joining Nike marginalizes his brand a little bit. We’ll see how the negotiations play out, as Nike can match any offer. Until then, it will be something to watch. Maybe he’ll go with the triple B’s. After all, he is a pretty big baller.

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