Giannis responds to Spoelstra’s big compliment: ‘I think I’m far away from Magic Johnson’

Miami Heat admin October 5, 2026 0 Comments

Giannis responds to Spoelstra’s big compliment: ‘I think I’m far away from Magic Johnson’

Just a few days after Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra compared Giannis Antetokounmpo’s play-making to that of Hall of Fame point guard Magic Johnson, the Heat’s new star forward expressed appreciation for his new coach’s words.

“It’s a great compliment,” Antetokounmpo said following Monday’s practice at Kaseya Center. “ But I think I’m far away from Magic Johnson. One of the, if not the best, point guard to ever play this game.”

Spoelstra’s compliment came after Antetokounmpo totaled nine points, four rebounds and seven assists in just 14 first-half minutes before sitting out the second half of Saturday’s 129-105 win over the Toronto Raptors in Quebec City, Canada to open the preseason.

With the Raptors sending extra defenders at Antetokounmpo every time he drove to the basket, his seven assists on Saturday resulted in seven Heat three-pointers.

“It’s always fun to me,” said Antetokounmpo, who has averaged 6.3 assists per game over the last three regular seasons. “I think every coach that I’ve been around, they always say the same thing in their first couple of interviews. ‘Oh, actually, I didn’t know that Giannis could pass the ball.’ [Jason Kidd] had said that in the past, coach Mike Budenholzer, Doc Rivers, now coach Spo.

“So for me, I take pride in making plays for myself and for my teammates. It’s almost like I get little dopamine hits when I’m able to get in the lane and find the open guy for a three or for an easy two. I don’t know, I’ve always enjoyed that, and now I have the opportunity within our offense that it’s kind of easy.”

Following Monday’s practice, Spoelstra again praised Antetokounmpo’s decision-making in Saturday’s preseason opener.

“He made every right decision, whether he had the ball in his hands, whether he was screening, whether he was off the ball, and that’s part of his greatness,” Spoelstra said. “He’s trusting us with this process.”

That process continues when the Heat plays its second of five preseason games on Thursday against the New Orleans Pelicans in Miami.

“It was nice just playing against somebody else,” Antetokounmpo said of Saturday’s exhibition win over the Raptors. “I think the vets did a very good job just playing fast, moving the ball, being physical. We’ve got to continue as a team to be able to put pressure on defenses. It was nice.

“For me, just game by game. I have to figure out how to be efficient, how to find ways to score the ball, how to be able to make plays, offensively and defensively. I’ve never played with the guys before. But it’s fun. It’s fun. When you know that you play with competitors and guys that play the right way and love to play the game, I think everything is easy after that.”

Tuesday’s scrimmage

The Heat will host its annual “Red, White and Pink Game” intrasquad scrimmage on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Kaseya Center, with proceeds benefiting cancer care and research at Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute.

“It is really important to us,” Spoelstra said of the annual event. “We talked about it before practice. We want to make it a really special night for all the survivors. Just like any place in life, it has affected so many of us in our organization. We want to celebrate the survivors, celebrate the ones that are still battling and fighting. And it’s just a great night for everybody to come together, use the game of basketball to also think about the others that are going through or have gone through something very difficult.”

Tuesday’s scrimmage won’t be televised, but it will be broadcast live on FM 104.3 WQAM. Tickets for the scrimmage cost $10 each, and parking will be available inside the arena’s P2 garage.

“To be able to connect with our fans, and there’s a lot of people that might be working or might be busy during the year and then don’t have the opportunity to come and watch us play,” Antetokounmpo said of the scrimmage. “For us, we have to go there and be locked in, try to put on a show, engage as much as we can with the fans, and I hope to have a good experience.”