Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has won his second consecutive NBA MVP award, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
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 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 adoring 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.
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.
During a three-hour lunch meeting last week in Milwaukee, Bucks co-owner and governor Marc Lasry made it clear to Antetokounmpo that the franchise is willing to spend into the luxury tax to deliver him a championship supporting cast, sources told ESPN.
Despite finishing with the best record during the regular season, Milwaukee failed to reach the Finals after losing in five games to the Miami Heat during the Eastern Conference semifinals. Although it was a disappointing finish to an incredible season, Antetokounmpo posted a 31.9 player efficiency rating — which was the highest in a season in NBA history, per ESPN Stats & Information research.
Additionally, he led the NBA in field goal percentage allowed at the rim (min. 100 FGA defended) and field goal percentage allowed as the closest defender (min. 500 FGA defended), according to Second Spectrum.