For Giannis, for everything: A tribute

Here’s to draft night swings and freakish things: chase-down blocks and coast-to-coast dunks. Here’s to the no-look dimes. 

Here’s to Bradley Center, to hitching rides with strangers. To smoothie tweets, jaw-dropping feats. Here’s to the Nic Batum comps. 

Here’s to nicknames, to the fire, to Mike Dunleavy Jr. Here’s to the walk-off at the Garden, to MIP turned MVP—and DPOY. Here’s to All Star, to All-NBA.

Here’s to the posters. To Chris Bosh, Serge Ibaka. Kosta Koufos and Aron Baynes. Here’s to Nikola

Vucevic, to Flagg and Gafford. Here’s to breaking orbit, to Tim Hardaway Jr.

Here’s to the playoffs. To the climb. To conference finals heartbreak and Bubble embarrassment. Here’s to the opportunity for redemption. And seizing it.

Here’s to the Heat, to the Nets, to the Hawks, and to the Suns. Here’s to the glory of ‘21. Here’s to recovery, to being superhuman. 

Here’s to the Finals. To back-to-back 40s, to iconic moments: “shot blocked by Antetokounmpo!”, “stolen by Holiday… Antetokounmpo throws it down!” Here’s to Mike Breen. To fifty-pieces at the drive thru. 

Here’s to the other voices. To Marques and to Lisa. To Ted and to Dave. Here’s to the pop-up zone, to Jon McGlocklin. Here’s to Mr Jim.

Here’s to the mentors. To Velliniatis and Saratsis, Tough Juice and Pachulia. Here’s to J-Kidd and Prunty and Sweeney and Ham. Here’s to Coach Bud.

Here’s to the brotherhood. To Khash and Splash, to Jrue and Planet Pat. Here’s to the dawgs. To the vets. To names and faces we forget.

Here’s to franchise records, rewriting the books. To 64, to game balls, to no failure in sports. Here’s to the NBA Cup. 

Here’s to the features. Articles and trading cards, documentaries and biopics. Here’s to the lore, the mythology, the mythos. Here’s to transcendence.

Here’s to family. To fathers and to mothers. To brothers by your side, always by your side. Here’s to dad jokes and kids. To moments shared, to memories made.

Here’s to calves and ankles, soleus strains and hyperextensions. Trainers tables to trade rumours. Here’s to the blood, the tears; the hurt and the grind. Here’s to all of it. 

Here’s to you, Giannis. 

For everything.