- Programming Note: Watch Monte Poole's full interview with Donte DiVincenzo on NBC Sports Bay Area at 8:30 p.m. PT on Sunday following Dubs Talk Live
Steph Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo have a lot in common, from two NBA MVP trophies apiece to their standing as superstars in the league.
The Warriors veteran and Milwaukee Bucks phenom both also happen to have played with Golden State guard Donte DiVincenzo, who believes the similarities don't stop there for the two athletes.
"They're both very powerful leaders, and I think the word powerful is completely different," DiVincenzo told NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole on the latest "Dubs Talk" episode. "Giannis on the court will run through a brick wall and can lead by example.
"When Steph talks, it's very impactful. He also leads by example. He's just a great human being, both are, but are just totally different personalities."
DiVincenzo played with Antetokounmpo on the Bucks from 2018 until being traded to the Sacramento Kings at the 2022 NBA trade deadline, so it's safe to say he knows the seven-time All-Star quite well after they won a ring together in 2021. And now, after joining the Warriors in free agency this past summer, DiVincenzo has had the chance to play alongside four-time NBA champion Curry during the 2022-23 season.
In that time, DiVincenzo has come to learn Curry and Antetokounmpo don't just share traits on the court. Both have a great sense of humor, he said, which is no surprise to NBA fans.
Golden State Warriors
"Yeah, [Curry will] mess with me all the time, and you never expect it," DiVincenzo told Poole. "He'll come in and it's all quiet, and then he'll just pop a joke and you won't expect it."
Antetokounmpo is a jokester, too, though his delivery differs slightly from Curry's.
"But they're totally different," DiVincenzo continued. "[Antetokounmpo would] say those jokes and I'd be like, 'Bro, you're so corny,' and he'd be like, 'That's just who I am.' So that was our relationship.
"It was like big brother, little brother, and I'd be the little brother like, 'Stop being so embarrassing.' They're both amazing basketball players, but they're both amazing people, and that's why I'm fortunate."
Both Antetokounmpo and Curry have benefitted from their shining personalities in addition to their on-court abilities in their ascension to becoming two of the NBA's greatest players.
And while both are dealing with respective injuries at the moment, their teams exit the All-Star break each hungry for another championship ring. For the Bucks, who are No. 2 in the Eastern Conference, it would be two NBA titles in three seasons.
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The Warriors remain afloat in the Western Conference as the No. 9 seed, looking to defend their 2022 NBA championship and win their fifth title in nine seasons.
With leaders like Curry and Antetokounmpo in their corners, both Golden State and Milwaukee have to like their chances.