Giannis Antetokounmpo says if he was in Zion Williamson's shoes ... he would NOT sit out the rest of the NCAA season -- telling TMZ Sports, "I love basketball too much."
Don't get it twisted ... 24-year-old Giannis isn't throwing shade and says he respects whatever decision Zion makes -- but said he knows what path he would choose.
Zion -- the obvious No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft -- scared the hell out of everyone when he suffered a knee injury during the Duke vs. North Carolina game earlier this month.
He hasn't been back on the court since, and many are wondering if he'll ever suit up for the Blue Devils again ... considering he's got MILLIONS of dollars waiting for him in the NBA.
Giannis says Zion has to do what's best for him.
There's more ... since Giannis was on the court during Ja Rule's doomed halftime performance at the Bucks vs. Timberwolves game on Saturday, we had to ask about the new JA RULE CURSE!!!
Remember, the T-Wolves clowned the disgraced Fyre Festival honcho after his performance was marred by technical issues ... so Ja cursed the team for 30 YEARS!!!
But, Giannis actually has Ja's back -- saying it wasn't the rapper's fault things went south that night, and telling TMZ Sports he still loves the artist.
#Bucks halftime is going well #90sNight #JaRule pic.twitter.com/u6wW9yT7fW
There's more ... we also asked Giannis if he's paying attention to all the talk about him being in the running for MVP this season -- and of course, the guy couldn't have been more humble.
Giannis is having a monster season -- averaging 27 points a game with 12.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists. BEAST!!!
Plus, his Bucks are in 1st place in the NBA's Eastern Conference.