After Hakeem Olajuwon, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s consecutive MVP win makes him Nigeria’s 2nd genuine basketball superstar
Giannis Antetokounmpo beats LeBron James and James Harden to win his second consecutive MVP trophy.
Milwaukee Bucks’ early exit from the Playoffs makes this win sombre, but it takes nothing away from what it represents. For the second year running, Giannis Antetokoumbo has been voted the best player from the NBA regular season.
Bucks’ just above-average performance in the bubble in Orlando and their choke in the playoffs might have painted another picture, but everyone must remember what the NBA looked like before coronavirus visited.
When the league was suspended on March 11, 2020, the Bucks held the league’s best record (53-12) and Antetokounmpo somehow had better numbers in the 57 games he had played than he did last season, when he won his first MVP.
His scoring average increased from 27.7 to 29.6 points per game and his rebounding tally increased from 12.5 to 13.7 rebounds per game, while the amount of time he spent on the floor decreased from 32.8 to 30.4 minutes per game.
He also had 5.6 assists per game to join the likes of Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson as the only players to put together a season with that statistical threshold in the three major categories.
This level of dominance had not been seen in the NBA in 50 years.
There were reasonable arguments for the MVP to go to LeBron James who finished second in voting- third-place James Harden wasn’t really in the conversation- but it was Antetokounmpo’s league, simple as ABC.
The best offense in the league was completely built around him and he was the defensive player in the best defensive team.
Having been voted the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) earlier and now the MVP, the 25-year-old joins Michael Jordan and Nigerian great Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to have won both awards in the same season.
Just like Olajuwon, Nigeria has its second basketball superstar in Antetokounmpo.
The Greek Freak also does have a similar route to the NBA like his compatriot.
They both started playing basketball before moving to the United States. Olajuwon first played University basketball in Nigeria before he was drafted while Antetokounmpo was drafted straight from the second division in Greece.
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Antetokounmpo would love to continue in the footsteps of Olajuwon by winning a Championship; that’s the only question to his place in the game and he knows that.
“Don’t call me MVP. Don’t call me two-time MVP until I’m a champion,” he said as he received his MVP trophy on Friday, September 18.
One of Antetokounmpo’s biggest strengths is his ability to always raise his game. From when he was drafted to the end of his second MVP season, he has consistently added a new range of skills every season.
That’s what makes him even scary; despite being the best player in the NBA, Antetokounmpo there are still obvious lapses in his game that need improvement and knowing how hard he works, this is a player that has reached the peak of his skillset.
This is why no one can rule him out of getting a chip; either at Bucks or another team, it looks like just a matter of time for Antetokounmpo.
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