Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn't played a minute for the Miami Heat yet, but he's already going a long way to build a rapport with the community. Even though this is not exactly surprising for a superstar player to do, this is the type of thing that makes it quite clear that this move was much more than just about winning championships.
Sure, winning a championship may have been one of Giannis' primary motivators toward nudging his way to Miami, but if it wasn't clear before, it certainly is now: Giannis plans to embrace being a part of this community.
Giannis showed up at a basketball camp for youth earlier this weekend, and it's not necessarily the first time he's done something like this since the trade. In fact, in his "first day in Miami" video, Giannis did the same thing.
Giannis is setting the tone for his first season in Miami
The closer and closer we get to the start of training camp for the Heat, it's becoming clearer that Giannis is preparing to set the tone for the all-important start of this new chapter of his career - both on and off the floor.
With how desperate the Heat fan base was for a star player, Giannis didn't necessarily have to do much to earn goodwill this offseason. But this is the type of move that's only going to add to his favor heading into the start of the season.
Giannis can be the worst off-the-court player, and Heat fans will love him. Because of how great a player he can be when he's healthy. But that's not Giannis. It's all-in or all-out. That's what we're seeing from him here before the start of the season.
The Heat's newest superstar is already working to leave a mark on the community. In the next 10 days, the hope is that he can start doing the same on the basketball court.
Miami officially opens training camp on September 29, and you can bet that all eyes will be on Giannis and the Heat. As much as the community appreciates these good-faith appearances from the superstar forward, it's all about basketball.
For better or worse, Giannis is going to be judged by what he's able to do for the team on the basketball court. And he knows that. So does the Heat.
This is nothing new. Still, that doesn't mean Giannis isn't doing what he can to create a genuine connection with the community. And there's nothing about that that is bad.
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