Giannis Antetokounmpo Wins His Second Consecutive NBA MVP Award

Milwaukee Bucks' forward Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks' forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2018. Photo by Jevone Moore/Cal Sport Media/CSM/REX/Shutterstock (9485611ac)

Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Milwaukee Bucks exited the playoffs earlier than expected, but that didn’t stop him from getting recognition for an impressive regular season. The NBA announced on Friday that Antetokounmpo was voted as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in the 2019/20 season.

This is the second consecutive MVP award for Antetokounmpo as he took home the trophy in 2018/19 as well. He joins the rare company of 11 players who won back-to-back MVPs, including the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, LeBron James, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James came second in the MVP voting, while Houston Rockets’ James Harden was third.

Antetokounmpo previously also won the Defensive Player of the Year award, becoming only the third player after Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon to receive MVP and DPOY honors in the same year.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had an impressive regular season from an individual standpoint, averaging 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. But more importantly, Antetokounmpo was a moving force for the Bucks as the team finished the regular season with the league-best 56 – 17 record. 

Unfortunately for Antetokounmpo, he and the Bucks couldn’t translate their dominance to the postseason. The 25-year-old Greek superstar battled injuries and inconsistency as Milwaukee was handed a swift second-round exit by Miami Heat.

Gunner's favorite movies are Pulp Fiction, Iron Man (just the first one), and every James Bond film ever made. He's learning TV and cinema and hoping to always enjoy movies as he does now.