NEW YORK — In hoops, Giannis Antentokounmpo is court royalty. But in baseball, he’s a complete rookie.
In fact, the 24-year-old from Greece said he’d never even touched a baseball before he did so Monday night at Yankee Stadium.
The reigning NBA MVP was shocked.
“It was really heavy,” Antentokounmpo told The Associated Press. “I thought it would be lighter.”
The Milwaukee Bucks star went on to take a few swings in the batting cage beneath the stands before the Yankees faced the Tampa Bay Rays. The 6-foot-11 Antentokounmpo got some coaching, with limited results — he swung and missed once with the ball on a tee, and made light contact on two other tries.
Alley-Oops. @Giannis_An34 pic.twitter.com/0YTCSTvXQm
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 15, 2019
“I would be a terrible baseball player,” he said.
The “Greek Freak” was in the Bronx with his three brothers to promote his new signature sneaker and signed a pair for a fan — Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia.
Greek Freak and the Little Fella. @Giannis_An34 @CC_Sabathia @Bucks pic.twitter.com/usOfC0Xlkl
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) July 15, 2019
Antentokounmpo watched the Yankees take batting practice, which reinforced his notion that he wasn’t destined for the diamond.
“I saw Aaron Judge hitting the ball into the stands. That’s amazing. You’ve got to be really strong to do that,” he said.
