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“There’s no failure in sports,” said Giannis Antetokounmpo. This is why the Greek Freak is one of my favorite players in the league. After last night’s defeat against Miami, Giannis was asked by a reporter if this season was a failure. In Giannis’ eyes, this was nothing more than a learning experience. I feel that Giannis and I have many similarities when it comes to our definition of “failure”. Failure to me is something that I learn from to keep going. I see it as an opportunity to grow. But I will never give up. Giannis also goes on to say, “There are good days, bad days…some days it’s your turn, some days it’s not your turn, and that’s what sports are about, you don’t always win.”

He also mentioned how Michael Jordan played 15 years and the remaining 9 years was not a failure. He was basically saying no matter how long you play, there will be wins and losses. Giannis found the positive in his “failure” as a learning experience.

As a sports journalist watching this press conference made me realize that we need to be more cautious of our use of word choice. Once you win, people expect you to win all the time. In reality, that’s not the case at all. I hope to refer to this press conference for the next time I interview a coach or athlete.