Seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton joined a long list of names including Carlo Ancelotti, Massimiliano Allegri, Steve Kerr, Charles Barkley, Darwin Hamm, Pau Gasol and Maria Sakkari who applauded Giannis Antetokounmpo for his response to “failure”. “this season.

“I was in that position too” and “that’s right, you can’t always win,” the Mercedes driver said shortly before the Miami Grand Prix in Florida.

When the Milwaukee Bucks Greek superstar was asked if he considered his season a failure, moments after the Miami Heat were eliminated from the NBA playoffs, he gave an answer that went viral on social media: “Oh my God… You asked me the same thing last year. Do you get a raise every year at your job? (No) That is, every year of yours is unsuccessful? Every year you work towards one goal: get a promotion, take care of your family, take care of your home. This is not a failure, but a step towards success. I don’t want to get personal, I speak in general,” he told the journalist.

“There are always steps. Michael Jordan played 15 years and won 6 championships. Did the other 9 years fail? Are you telling me? I beg you. Why are you asking me this? That is not the right question. There are no failures in sports. There are good days and bad days. Sometimes you can succeed, sometimes you can’t. Sometimes it’s your turn, sometimes it’s not. This is a sport. You don’t always win. Someone else will win this year. We want to come back next year and win the championship. It’s been 50 years since we won the championship in Milwaukee. Was it 50 years of failure? No, these were just steps towards success. We won the championship, hopefully we’ll win another one. Sorry, I didn’t mean to get personal. Last year I didn’t have the presence of mind to answer correctly, but I remember that you asked me the same thing.”

Lewis Hamilton compared Giannis’ statement to his position amid Mercedes’ attempts to compete with Red Bull.

“I reposted (ss: Antetokounmpo’s reply) because I felt like I was in that position,” he told ESPN ahead of his own game.

“I felt disappointed, I knew exactly what it was like. When you work on something, success is made up of many failures. You fail far more than you succeed. Sometimes people just take it easy when they ask you questions like “What does it feel like to fail?” There are no errors. There are only lessons, I keep repeating. You cannot always win. It’s not about how you fall, it’s about how you rise. As you go, day after day, train, keep trying to achieve what you are trying to achieve. I thought he was really inspiring, he spoke very well, he was very elegant,” added the British Formula 1 driver.

“The emotional stress you go through when you’re with a team? Emotions, physical wear. You have to constantly try your best. All athletes know what it is. It’s hard for people to understand,” Lewis Hamilton added.

Source: RES-IPE