Image via Twitter / @NBA
What was evident on the court is now official. Giannis Antetokounmpo was officially named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive year on Friday. The Greek Freak was a major contributing factor to the Milwaukee Bucks’ best regular season record this year, and his impact on the team’s performance was very evident.
News broke on Friday morning via ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and was later confirmed by the league with an official presentation. Antetokounmpo was second in the league in rebounds per game this season, as well as the leader in points in the paint. He also joins Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to win Defensive Player of the Year and an MVP trophy in the same year. Jordan did it in 1988, and Olajuwon in 1994, respectively. In his seventh season in the league, Giannis is also only the second player in NBA history to win back-to-back MVP awards by the age of 25.
The news comes at an interesting time in the Bucks’ off-season, after being bounced from the playoffs in Orlando by the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Antetokounmpo also has one year left before free agency, and is eligible to sign a supermax contract extension with Milwaukee between now and when the 2020-2021 NBA season is set to tip off in December. Bucks general manager Jon Horst has already previously stated that Antetokounmpo will be offered the deal in that time. If Giannis were to sign this year or wait until next season, the terms would be the same, with a five-year deal and a starting salary worth 35% of the team’s 2021-2022 salary cap. The estimated dollar amount floating around is $254 million, though the salary cap won’t officially be set until next year.
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It seems almost inevitable that Giannis Antetokoumpo’s jersey number will be hanging from the rafters at Fiserv Forum, whether or not he remains a career-long franchise player. With his legacy cemented in Milwaukee, a second consecutive MVP title now just needs a championship ring to go along with it.
