Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has praised Greek NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpu for his recent statements on failure in sport.
Antetokounmpu was recently eliminated from the NBA play-offs with his Milwaukee Bucks, after they were eliminated by the Miami Heat.
He was asked after the match if it was a failure, and responded strongly.
“Oh my god. You asked me the same question last year, Eric, okay,” Giannis fired back.
“Do you get a promotion every year at your job? So every year you work is a failure? Yes or no? No. Every year you work, you work towards something, towards a goal.”
“It’s not a failure; it’s steps to success,” he said. “There’s always steps to it. Michael Jordan played 15 years, won six championships. The other nine years was a failure? That’s what you’re telling me?
“It’s a wrong question; there’s no failure in sports.”
During his pre-match press conference ahead of Real Madrid’s trip to face Real Sociedad, Carlo Ancelotti was asked about those words and what failure meant to him. The Italian was fully behind Giannis.
“What Antetokounmpu said was spectacular. I have nothing to add. I agree 100% with what he said. I think like him. In football, you cannot speak about failure, in life, you cannot speak about failure. Failure is only when you are trying not to do things.”
“If you try, you don’t fail. In sports, you only fail when you don’t try things. Because in sport you lose more than you win, even though I have a good track record. I have nothing to add to what he said, I agree 100%, on everything.”
Ancelotti looks set to lose out on La Liga this season, with an 11-point gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid and just six games to go. However Los Blancos are still in the hunt for the Copa del Rey and the Champions League.
