Giannis Antetokounmpo – File Photo / Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has captured his second straight NBA MVP Award. According to ESPN, the award is set to be officially announced on NBA TV at 1 p.m. Friday afternoon.
Antetokounmpo joins Michael Jordan (1987-88) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1993-94) as the only players to win both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same year. He also joins LeBron James (2009 and 2010) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971 and 1972) as the only players in league history to win two MVP awards at age 25 or younger.
Antetokounmpo is the 14th player in NBA history to earn MVP honors multiple times and the 12th player to win it in back-to-back years.
In his seventh season, Antetokounmpo averaged 29.5 points (5th in NBA) and 13.6 rebounds (2nd in NBA) per game, which were both career-high marks. He also dished out 5.6 assists a game, while shooting 55.3% from the field. Giannis was the only player in the league to rank inside the top-15 in both scoring and rebounding this season and was the only one to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists per game.