“I like staying low key, I like staying out of the way. That’s who I am.”
Giannis and Khris: A partnership forged through years of battles to push each other, and the Milwaukee Bucks, to the pinnacle of the NBA
An unattended phone broke the silence of an empty locker room in the winter of 2016, and Jason Terry peeked inside Giannis Antetokounmpo’s locker. Seventeen years his new teammate’s senior, Terry was taken aback by the 22-year-old’s screen saver: The Larry O’Brien Trophy.
“This kid is different — he ain’t playin’ for money. He ain’t playin’ for fame. This kid wants to win,” Terry thought to himself.
Months after Terry vowed to himself he would do anything Antetokounmpo asked, the Milwaukee Bucks’ budding superstar found out just how similarly built Khris Middleton was.
During their first-round playoff series against Toronto in the spring of 2017, Middleton came down with an illness that didn’t allow him to eat, sucked the fluids from his body, and sent him to the hospital.
“He gave everything for the team and for us,” Antetokounmpo said of Middleton, who still averaged 38½ minutes a night in that series. “You know, that’s when I realized, yeah, that’s the guy I want to be on the line with and go through the journey with.”
They had already beaten up each other in practices for three years to prove to the organization, to teammates — and to each other — what they already knew of themselves. From there, no longer was it one-on-one but a pair of calloused craftsmen.
That thing — call it heart, work ethic, the competitive spirit — became the steel cable that not only bound the two men but became the foundation laid in the basement of a 15-win first season together up to the penthouse of an NBA championship.
“Khris is the heart of this team,” Jrue Holiday said. “I feel like Giannis is the soul of this team, and without them, man, we really wouldn’t be here.”
Blood and guts before hugs and tears
The enduring image of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton’s partnership occurred on July 14, with 7.3 seconds left in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Phoenix Suns.
Antetokounmpo dropped his head on Middleton’s left shoulder, their arms wrapped around one another.
“I mean, just love those moments,” Middleton said. “I know how much he put into that game. He knows how much I put into the game and we knew how much everybody put into the game.”
On Tuesday night, with Middleton squeezing the Larry O’Brien Trophy, Antetokounmpo turned to him.
“Khris. We did it, huh? We f—in’ did it.”
And they hugged again.
They were natural, private moments seen by millions, born out of hundreds of uncomfortable hours seen by few and truly understood by fewer.
Over eight years, multiple contract extensions and all-star appearances, the stories of Antetokounmpo and Middleton’s post-practice one-on-one sessions in the early going of their partnership are well worn.
But no one — even members of the Bucks front office, coaches, teammates — could know what the result would be.
All they had were hints, trails of breadcrumbs. It’s just that Antetokounmpo’s were of focaccia laid on a straight line while Middleton’s were more of the Butternut variety, winding here and there before the trails linked.
Middleton was a power forward at Texas A&M and then a knee injury sent him tumbling to Detroit in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft. With the Pistons, after every practice or before every game, he and fellow rookie Kim English would go head-to-head, one-on-one. Three dribbles only. Unlimited dribbles. Give a bucket, damn sure he was getting a bucket.
“It was in his DNA. It’s all he knew,” said English, now the head coach at George Mason University.
Middleton and English were sent to the Developmental League (now the G League) in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for three games a week, just to get some playing time. By the end of that season, it was Middleton getting rotational minutes in Detroit over English.
“With Khris, for me, it’s the unseen hours, it’s the stuff you don’t see,” English said. “He was ready. He was ready.”
But not ready enough.
In a July 2013 trade headlined by Brandon Jennings and Brandon Knight, Pistons general manager Joe Dumars reluctantly sent Middleton over to the Bucks to make the money work. By training camp of head coach Larry Drew’s first and only season, Milwaukee knew it had a player. In a span of months, he went from being considered a role player to the team’s sixth man to starting to the guy Drew schemed last-second scenarios for.
Within that, were the hours at the Cousins Center.
Veteran teammates — bigger forwards and centers or the smaller guards — took notice, whether they were giving or getting in one-on-ones. They learned Middleton was stronger than he looked, specifically, the power of his forearms leaning into their bodies. They learned he was quicker than his frame belied, getting position with a burst. Then they watched him finish out the day with his shooting routine.
“I’m not going to try to waste my time by just half-assing it,” Middleton said. “I’m going to give it my all. I’m going to work to be the best I can. I may not be the greatest, but I feel like I can be the best version of myself.”
Crazy stat shows Khris Middleton’s major NBA Finals impact on Bucks
ubt Giannis had been the Bucks’ best player throughout the entire playoffs. However, Middleton played his role really well and even stepped up as the team’s closer in several games. According to Stat Muse, the 29-year-old led the playoffs in clutch points–proof of it was his 18 points on 75 percent shooting in the clutch during the NBA Finals.
Khris Middleton had 18 points on 75% shooting in the clutch in the Finals, the most by any player. The next closest player had 4 points.
He also led the entire playoffs in clutch points. pic.twitter.com/wmKjvdsf10
— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 21, 2021
As ESPN also noted, Middleton tied LeBron James for the most game-tying or go-ahead field goals (15) in a single playoffs over the last 25 seasons. LeBron did it with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007.
“Money-Making Middleton” stepped up to the plate in a BIG way during the playoffs 😤 pic.twitter.com/BPjnAaIXkC
— ESPN (@espn) July 21, 2021
Khris Middleton’s performance in crucial situations was what led to several players suggesting he could be the NBA Finals MVP, including Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum who was in awe of the swingman’s clutch gene.
If bucks win this series how many votes does middy @Khris22m get for Finals MVP ? Bruh been serving and closing
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) July 18, 2021
True enough, without Middleton stepping up on the big moments, it would have been hard–or nearly impossible even–for the Bucks to win it all. The team already fell behind 2-0 to the Phoenix Suns, but Antetokounmpo’s dominance and Middleton’s big plays allowed them to stage a comeback and lift the Larry O’Brien trophy in the end.
Middleton deserves all the praise and recognition he is getting after winning the NBA championship with Antetokounmpo, and no one can deny him that.
Khris Middleton
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Middleton with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018
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| No. 22 – Milwaukee Bucks | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward / Shooting guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | August 12, 1991 Charleston, South Carolina |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 222 lb (101 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Porter-Gaud (Charleston, South Carolina) |
| College | Texas A&M (2009–2012) |
| NBA draft | 2012 / Round: 2 / Pick: 39th overall |
| Selected by the Detroit Pistons | |
| Playing career | 2012–present |
| Career history | |
| 2012–2013 | Detroit Pistons |
| 2012 | →Fort Wayne Mad Ants |
| 2013–present | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Stats  |
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| Stats |
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James Khristian Middleton (born August 12, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended high school at the Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina. As a junior and senior, he was named South Carolina Player of the Year, and was a McDonald’s All-American nominee. After being recruited by Scott Spinelli, he went on to play college basketball for Texas A&M University, where he started the majority of the games in his freshman year. In his sophomore season, he earned second-team All-Big 12 honors after leading the Aggies in scoring with 14.3 points per game. Middleton was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 39th overall pick of the 2012 NBA draft. He received his first All-Star selection in 2019. In 2021, Middleton helped lead the Bucks to their first NBA championship since 1971.
Middleton was born on August 12, 1991 in Charleston, South Carolina to James and Nichelle Middleton. He has one older sister named Brittney, and his cousin, Josh Powell, has played in the NBA. Another cousin, Kenny Manigault, played basketball for Wichita State University and was teammates with Middleton on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team Carolina Celtics. Two other teammates on the Carolina Celtics accepted Division I basketball scholarships, Jamal Curry (Radford) and Devin Booker (Clemson).
Middleton attended Porter-Gaud School and played basketball for the Cyclones under coach John Pearson. As a sophomore, he averaged 12 points and eight rebounds per game. In his junior season, Middleton posted averages of 21 points and 8.6 rebounds per game and was named state player of the year. He repeated as player of the year as a senior, scoring 22.4 points per game and grabbing 8.6 rebounds per game in leading Porter-Gaud to the state title game. Middleton was named Most Valuable Player of the Porter-Gaud Holiday Classic, scoring 22 points in the championship. He was nominated for the 2009 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game, but was not selected to participate.
ESPN ranked him the 64th best prospect in the Class of 2009, and noted he was the best shooter at his position. Middleton was recruited by Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, South Carolina, Michigan, and Saint Joseph’s. He chose Texas A&M, and signed with the Aggies on May 30, 2008. He liked the college town atmosphere, and got along well with the coaching staff.
