50 is a special number for Giannis and the Bucks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to climb the ladder of all-time greats in the NBA — a testament to the legendary work ethic the Milwaukee Bucks star has always had from the beginning of his career. On Sunday night, despite the Bucks’ 112-100 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Antetokounmpo can take pride in the fact that he moved to 50th on the all-time scoring list, surpassing Tom Chambers and reaching 20,077 points for his career with a 30-point night.

Antetokounmpo being 50th on the all-time scoring list is not something that’s going to last until the end of the season. Based on his current averages, he is on track to end the 2024-25 campaign in 47th place on the all-time leaderboard. But while the Bucks star is there, there’s no better time to call into mind Antetokounmpo’s iconic moment following the 2021 NBA Finals when he made sure to order exactly 50 pieces of chicken nuggets — not 49 and not 51.

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50 is a special number for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. Who could ever forget the time where Antetokounmpo scored 50 in Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals to bring the city of Milwaukee its second-ever championship. And continuing the theme of the importance of the number ’50’, the Bucks’ two championships were separated by 50 years (1971, 2021).

Antetokounmpo’s incredible 2024-25 season is being overshadowed by the Bucks’ topsy-turvy play as well as the statistical dominance of Nikola Jokic and the individual brilliance of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but make no mistake about it: he’s playing at a level that’s well-deserving of MVP-caliber praise.

“Giannis is the best player in the NBA and should be the MVP,” X user @_Pipleth wrote.

“Blessed to have him in Milwaukee,” @soccer_3_mom added.

Bucks’ struggles overshadow Giannis Antetokounmpo’s momentous night

© Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Bucks have not fared well against some of the best teams in the association. On Sunday night, they struggled mightily against the Cavs, with Cleveland launching an assault from beyond the arc that Milwaukee wasn’t schemed to stop. Suffice to say, fans aren’t pleased.

“Like no ball movement, no open looks, constant horrible turnovers and just open shot after open shot for the Cavs. It all needs to be better from Doc and the Bucks and I really doubt any of it will get better,” @adrian__k wrote.

“Watching the Cavs offense and passing vs our iso ball is night and day. The amount of open looks they generate in comparison to the bucks is telling,” @DairylandDimes added.