Giannis Antetokounmpo mulls where he would've gone to college had he played NCAA basketball

• Giannis Antetokounmpo never played college basketball, as he was drafted into the NBA at 18 years old.
• But had he competed in the NCAA, there are a random assortment of programs he says he would've considered.
• The Greek Freak told Insider that Duke, Syracuse, and Old Dominion — a team he faced when he was 17 — were on his list.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had already played years of professional hoops by the time most American basketball stars begin gearing up for their college careers.

While the majority of his NBA counterparts spent at least one year in the NCAA before heading to the league, the Greek Freak bounced straight from clubs across Europe to the Milwaukee Bucks — who drafted the lanky 7-footer when he was just 18 years old.

Two MVP awards, seven All-Star nods, and an NBA title later, Antetokounmpo has little reason to look back. But sometimes, he mulls over what it would've been like — and where he would've gone — had he played college hoops.

At the top of his list, surprisingly, were the Old Dominion Monarchs.

"When I was younger, we had this friendly game back in Greece," Antetokounmpo told Insider. "My team, Filathlitikos, played against the team Old Dominion.

"And I went crazy," he added. "I had a couple of buckets."

He had eight, to be exact.

The Monarchs had taken a summer trip overseas in 2012 and decided to face off against Filathlitikos at Athens' Zografos Stadium. But Old Dominion was struck with a stomach virus ahead of the game and, unknowingly, was facing a 17-year-old who would one day dominate the NBA.

Antetokounmpo — or Janis Antetokoubo, as he's listed on the post-game write up — finished with a game-high 21 points on a 56.9% clip from the field and 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. He also left with a new contact: then-Monarchs head coach Blaine Taylor.

"The coach approached me," Antetokounmpo recalled. "He liked my attitude and how hard I played and how I approached the game at such an early age. And he said if I ever considered to come to the US, he would love to have me."

By the time he had considered coming to the US, Antetokounmpo was already a top NBA prospect. Now that he's spent a full decade in the States, he's gotten better acquainted with NCAA play and the top programs in college basketball. He's even helping walk-ons land NIL deals and mentorship opportunities through a partnership with Degree.

Last year, he went to watch a Syracuse game and "loved the way they played." The Orange, he said, "played fast, defensively played zone, and were tricky."

But when it comes to which team would've been the best fit for his development as a player, he says the Duke Blue Devils fit the bill.

"Duke is probably one of the teams that produce a lot of people like me — four men, unorthodox, doesn't really fit the typical format," Antetokounmpo explained. "You can see from Jayson Tatum — Jayson Tatum went to Duke, Brandon Ingram went to Duke, Jabari Parker. A lot of four men that can put the ball on the floor and can play in the pick-and-roll and be the handler or being the guy that sets the pick-and-roll.

"So that's a good school too," he added.

None of the three aforementioned schools ranks as Antetokounmpo's favorite, however. Once March Madness officially begins next week, the Bucks big is rooting for Milwaukee's own Marquette Golden Eagles "all the way."

He's ready to fill out a bracket, and says the Bucks partake in an intra-team bracket pool each year. But don't expect the franchise's star to walk away with the jackpot.

"I've never won that. I always lose," Antetokounmpo said. "But it's fun. It just keeps the environment light and allows us to follow as much as we can."