Giannis Antetokounmpo beat out reigning MVP James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder swingman Paul George to win his first MVP trophy, finishing with 78 first-place votes.
Averaging 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists (all career-highs) and 1.5 blocks per game, Antetokounmpo led the Milwaukee Bucks to a 60-win season, their best since 1981. He also led them to an appearance in the Conference Finals, helping the franchise win their first playoff series in 18 season.
His season was littered with accolades as he was voted as a captain at the 2019 All-Star Game, named to the all-defensive first team and was a unanimous selection to the All-NBA first team.
The 24-year-old was also a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year and led the league in PER (30.9) and win shares per 48 minutes (.292).
Check out some of the impressive facts behind Antetokounmpo's MVP season:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only player in NBA history to have won both the Most Improved Player Award and the Most Valuable Player Award.
- He is the first Bucks MVP since 1974 when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the last of his three as a player representing the franchise.
- He ties Steve Nash (1996) for the lowest drafted MVP (15th overall) in the lottery era.
- At 24 years and 201 days, he is the third-youngest MVP in 40 years, behind Derrick Rose and LeBron James, and the youngest since Rose in 2011.
- He is the fifth player born outside of the United States to win the MVP after Hakeem Olajuwon (1994, 95), Tim Duncan (2002, 03), Steve Nash (2005, 06), and Dirk Nowitzki (2007).
- He is the first Eastern Conference player to be named the MVP since LeBron James in 2013.
Six seasons into the league, here's how stacked Antetokounmpo's resume looks:
- 2019 MVP
- 3 x All-Star (2017-19)
- 2017 Most Improved Player
- 3 x All-NBA Selections (2 x Second Team)
- 2 x All-Defensive Selections (2019 First Team).
"Many more Awards to come," Antetokounmpo said as he signed off from the 2019 NBA Awards Show.
