Fresh off guiding Greece to a bronze medal at the 2025 EuroBasket, Giannis Antetokounmpo is already setting his sights on sharpening his game ahead of the new NBA season. The Milwaukee Bucks superstar revealed that his next dream workout partner is none other than Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, the New York Knicks legend renowned for his mid-range artistry.
Giannis admires Carmelo’s effortless scoring game
In a recent interview with Greek outlet Sport24, Antetokounmpo opened up about the kind of players he likes to learn from. While he respects current stars like LeBron James, he prefers working with legends who have already stepped away from the league.
“I like working with players who are retired — I think the next one is Carmelo Anthony. If I could work with Carmelo Anthony, I would love to,” Giannis admitted. “Mid-range, face-up jump shots… the game looked effortless and relaxed with him.”
The Bucks forward, known for his dominance inside the paint, appears determined to expand his scoring arsenal even further, particularly in the mid-range — a staple of Anthony’s two-decade-long career.
Carmelo Anthony praises Giannis’s impact in Milwaukee
Anthony, meanwhile, has been full of admiration for the Greek Freak. On the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, the 10-time All-Star highlighted Giannis’s transformative role in Milwaukee.
“Giannis built Milwaukee 2.0,” Anthony said. “He won with that, created a new environment. Everything Milwaukee has right now is because of him. If they lose Giannis, they’d take a 15-year step back.”
His words underline just how central the Bucks star remains — both to the franchise and to the city.
A tradition of learning from legends
This would not be the first time Antetokounmpo has turned to NBA greats for offseason growth. Ahead of his first MVP season in 2019, he worked out with the late Kobe Bryant, famously showing up hours early with a notepad in hand to soak up every detail.
Years later, in 2023, Giannis traveled to Houston to train with Hakeem Olajuwon, picking up post moves and footwork techniques from the Rockets legend. Both experiences played a part in his evolution into a two-time MVP and 2021 NBA champion.
Why Melo makes sense as Giannis’s next mentor
Given that Antetokounmpo’s mid-range jumper was among the league’s most improved weapons last season — drawing comparisons with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker — working with Anthony could take his scoring game to another level.
Carmelo, one of the purest scorers in NBA history, made a career out of punishing defenders with his face-up game and silky mid-range pull-ups. For Giannis, whose dominance already forces double teams, adding a Melo-inspired scoring wrinkle could make him nearly unguardable.
With training camp around the corner, the Bucks are aiming to bounce back from last year’s playoff disappointment against the Indiana Pacers. Giannis’s relentless pursuit of growth — and willingness to learn from past greats — is a clear signal that he’s not satisfied with just one ring.
And if Carmelo Anthony becomes his next mentor, the NBA might just see a new dimension to the Greek Freak’s already unstoppable game.