SIDEKICKS
Sports Illustrated Kids|January - February 2023
No, Scottie Pippen isn't a sidekick. I don't care if people called him "Robin." Dick Grayson was never All-Defensive First Team!
SIDEKICKS

Giannis Antetokounmpo has Khris Middleton

Defining a sports sidekick is tough. Sometimes it means the second-best player on a team, even if those two stars rarely play together (think Evgeni Malkin). Other times, it refers to half of a famous duo, like Scottie Pippen. But Malkin is too self-sufficient and Pippen too good. So here's a new high bar for sidekicks: the Bucks' Khris Middleton. Kendrick Perkins called Giannis Antetokounmpo Robin after Middleton dropped 38 points in a playoff game in 2021. A month later, Antetokounmpo had his Batman moment in the Finals. Giannis couldn't have won that title without Middleton, but there's a clear No. 1 and No. 2.

Wayne Gretzky had Jari Kurri

Oilers/Kings 1980-'88, '92-'96

This story is from the January - February 2023 edition of Sports Illustrated Kids.

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This story is from the January - February 2023 edition of Sports Illustrated Kids.

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