Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has won his second consecutive NBA MVP award, the league announced Friday.
Antetokounmpo joins Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell as back-to-back MVPs.
Antetokounmpo received 85 of 101 first-place votes and earned 962 total points from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters as well as the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award fan vote.
James received the other 16 first-place votes and finished in second place with 753 points. Houston Rockets guard James Harden (367 points) finished third, followed by Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (200 points) and LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (168 points).
Antetokounmpo joins Jordan (1987-88 season) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1993-94 season) as the only players to win the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season.
Standing in front of thousands of fans at a downtown rally in Milwaukee last July, the Bucks superstar politely asked them for a favor.
“Please, after this day don’t call me MVP until I win it again next year,” he asked.
Although Milwaukee fell short of a title, he returned to average 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists this season.
“Obviously, I’m happy for tonight and I’m happy for this award, but I always look forward,” Antetokounmpo said during Friday’s virtual news conference. “I always try to figure out, how can I get better? How can I do it again? How can I do it for multiple years to come? How can I be a champion? I’m happy. I’m grateful, but how can I do it again?”
Antetokounmpo has a decision to make in the offseason about signing an extension with Milwaukee or entering the 2020-21 season in the final year of his contract, making him eligible for free agency in 2021. Right now, he’s using the time to focus on family, including his infant son, Liam, while spending time in Athens, Greece.
Courtesy: ESPN
