Loud chants of "Giannis" filled the Kaseya Center on Thursday afternoon as the Miami Heat introduced their newest stars. Head Coach Erik Spoelstra said Pat Riley asked him if he wanted to coach Giannis, and he said yes. Spoelstra called it a no-brainer to coach a two-time MVP, NBA champion, Finals MVP and more. Antetokounmpo, standing 6 feet 11 inches and weighing 240 pounds, said he thrives on pressure and needs it at this point in his career to go to the next level. He said he had to get out of his comfort zone. Coming off back-to-back injury-filled seasons, Antetokounmpo said he feels like whenever he puts his mind to something, he usually accomplishes it, and this is the best route for him to win more championships.
Bobby Portis Jr. was also introduced on Thursday. Portis said he prides himself on working every day in the summer to get better and has been coming off the bench his whole career as a sixth man type of guy. He said being aggressive is what he has always been. Portis said he has been playing with Giannis for six years now, going on seven, and it has been real fun. He said his relationship with Bam Adebayo was built off of being competitors. Spoelstra said the squad with Antetokounmpo, Portis and Adebayo will play a lot of positionless ball. Antetokounmpo said the moment he is coached hard, everyone else is going to follow, adding he does not want it to be sugar-coated and needs the truth so he can apply that to the game.