It is official, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks won MVP for the second year in a row according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo has won his second consecutive MVP award, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 18, 2020
Antetokounmpo becomes the 13th player in NBA history to win the MVP in consecutive seasons, thus solidifying him as an all-time great. This past season, Antetokounmpo averaged 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.0 block and 1.0 steal a game. He beat out LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets’ guard James Harden for the award.
Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to a 56-17 record which was the best in the league. The Bucks were expected to make make a Championship push this season, especially with Kawhi Leonard moving to the Western Conference and Kevin Durant missing the season. However the Bucks fell short of those expectations losing in five games in the second round of the playoffs to the Miami Heat.
The MVP award is not the only honor Antetokounmpo has had bestowed on him this season. He has also won the Defensive Player of the Year award and was All-NBA First Team. This may have been Antetokounmpo’s first DPOY award but he also was a member of the All-NBA First Team and the NBA All-Defense Teams last season to go with his MVP award. He also has four All-Star appearances, NBA Most Improved Player (2017), NBA All-Rookie Team Second Team (2014), two All-NBA Second Team appearances and a NBA All-Defensive Second Team recognition in 2017 on his resume as well.
Antetokounmpo has far exceeded his expectations from when the Bucks selected him 15th overall in 2013. He is a prime example of what a great work ethic by the player and fantastic player development from the team can do. However it is rumored that Antetokounmpo may not be long for Milwaukee since his contract is up during the 2021 offseason and the Bucks haven’t given him the pieces around him to win that first championship.
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