MIAMI — Giannis Antetokounmpo has encountered his first major adjustment since moving from Milwaukee to Miami, and apparently it has nothing to do with Erik Spoelstra's offense.
It has scales.
Antetokounmpo was startled after discovering an iguana in his backyard, prompting his children to suggest that their 6-foot-11 father simply go outside and catch it himself.
Giannis immediately declined.
‘There's no way,’ he said, instead encouraging his considerably smaller children to deal with the problem.
The incident reportedly served as Giannis' first realization that leaving Wisconsin involves more than warmer weather and significantly fewer opportunities to shovel snow.
‘In Milwaukee, you look outside and maybe there's a deer,’ one source explained. ‘The deer usually doesn't look like a tiny dinosaur.’
Antetokounmpo reportedly studied the iguana from a safe distance before determining that its low center of gravity, unpredictable movement and complete disregard for private property made it an unnecessarily difficult defensive assignment.
‘He can guard one through five,’ a Heat staffer said. ‘Florida apparently has a six.’
Miami officials assured their newest star that iguanas are a relatively normal part of South Florida life, which reportedly did absolutely nothing to reassure him.
Giannis has spent his career defending LeBron James, Nikola Jokić and some of the most physically imposing athletes on Earth.
But after more than a decade in Milwaukee, nobody apparently prepared him for a four-foot reptile casually appearing next to the patio furniture.
Welcome to Miami.
