Game Recognize Game

Brooks Koepka tweeted the perfect congratulations to Giannis Antetokounmpo for winning the NBA Finals

Well folks, it’s official. Giannis Antetokounmpo is an NBA champion. He didn’t have to go join Golden State or recruit Anthony Davis to get it done either. He stuck it out on a small-market franchise surrounded by excellent role players, got a couple of breaks in a bizarre COVID-impacted season, and on Tuesday night he lifted the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time. Obviously this grabbed the attention of the basketball world, but also earth’s foremost trophy appreciator, Brooks Koepka, who tweeted out the perfect congratulations to Antetokounmpo after the Bucks’ decisive Game 6 victory.

That’s Koepka and Antetokounmpo posing with the Wanamaker Trophy on the court in Brooklyn back in February of 2019. At the time we noted how Koepka, generally regarded as one of the bigger, fitter, more powerful guys on tour (especially pre Bryson Do-you-even-lift-bro) was but a speck of dust in the vast cosmos when compared to The Greek Freak’s freaky physique. But that was Kopeka’s piece of hardware they were holding, and he would retain it just a few months later at Bethpage Black. Advantage Koepka.

Now, however, they both have something shiny to put on the mantle and Koepka was quick to give credit where credit was due (especially considering his first major championship, like Giannis’ first NBA Championship, also came courtesy of the great state of Wisconsin).

It’s interesting to note, however, that within minutes of clinching the championship in an entirely different sport, Koepka had already congratulated a guy he’s met once. When asked about his peer Bryson Dechambeau’s 2020 U.S. Open Championship last fall? “Yeah, I didn’t watch a shot of it,” he said. “I didn’t see anything.”