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NBA Awards Recap: The ‘Greek Freak’ Wins MVP

Highlights of winners at the 3rd annual NBA Awards. Plus, Giannis Antetokounmpo winning his first MVP award.

By Michael ReynosoPublished 5 years ago 4 min read
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Image Credit: @Bucks

Welcome NBA fans!

The 3rd annual NBA Awards took center stage in Los Angeles and the event was spectacular for players who come together and supported each other’s accomplishments. This night was emotional for the new MVP winner, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Giannis went through a tough journey to get where he is today. From being drafted number 15th back in 2013, to becoming an MVP. Last summer, the “Greek Freak” chose to train with Laker legend Kobe Bryant to help maximize his potential.

At first, Giannis didn’t believe he could’ve become an MVP because of seeing some great players who have won it. With the training and guidance of Kobe Bryant, he was able to believe in his abilities and put them into practice daily.

What made Giannis determined to win the award was his willingness to buy into Mike Budenholzer’s system and helping his teammates. In addition, the Bucks’ plan was to build an offensive team around Giannis with shooters and be an unstoppable force in the league.

With the “Greek Freak” leading the charge, the plan worked.

Congrats to Giannis Antetokounmpo for winning MVP!

Image Credit: @SportsCenter

As a result, the Bucks became the best team in the NBA by winning 60 games and Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer won “Coach of The Year.” In addition, with the help of Kobe in the offseason, Giannis believed in himself and persevered to win the MVP award.

Furthermore, the “Greek Freak” averaged 27.7 points and 12.5 rebounds a game while being the best defender on his team. It wasn’t just his stats that impressed us, it was his ability to punish defenders in a one-on-one situation that made the Bucks’ offense work in a nightly basis.

No player could’ve guard Giannis in the regular season. Come playoff time, he was finally stopped by “The Claw” himself, newly-crowned champion Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Even though Giannis lost in 7 games to the Raptors, he is poised to make a huge comeback next season and surprise us all. He is very driven and is willing to put in the work to become better.

What made him so unique was being a team player and putting in long hours to maximize his full potential. Giannis was also the one to the tough assignments by defending the best players on a nightly basis, such as Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and countless others.

When the “Greek Freak” came up to the podium to accept his MVP award, he got very emotional and thanked his parents and fellow teammates for helping him get to where he is today. The hard-work, dedication, his mother’s motivation, not giving up, and not having his father around is what help motivated him to keep going.

If the above video didn’t make you want to believe in the gifts you have and what you can offer to this world, I don’t know what is.

During the show, second MVP runner-up Rockets guard James Harden didn’t appear at the event. I think he knew he wasn’t going to win the MVP award and decided not to come. That is my guess. had an unbelievable season.

Harden averaged 36.1 points, 7.5 assists, and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting over 50% from the field. After having a slow start, Harden overcame the odds and turned into Kobe mode to go on a scoring tear.

In the end, those heroic efforts by Harden wasn’t enough to win the MVP award. The third finalist was Thunder forward Paul George, who had a stellar season. Nevertheless, it was the “Greek Freak” who captured our hearts to win his first MVP trophy.

The sacrifice from his mother, the motivation from his father, the support from his teammates and coaches, and the training he got from Bryant was all worth it.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has arrived.

Winners of NBA Awards

Image Credit: @NBA

There were other winners who received their award and here is a list of them:

Coach of the Year

Milwaukee Bucks – Mike Budenholzer

Sixth Man of the Year

Los Angeles Clippers – G Lou Williams

Rookie of the Year

Dallas Mavericks – PG Luka Doncic

Defensive Player of the Year

Utah Jazz - Rudy Gobert

Most Improved Player

Toronto Raptors – F Pascal Siakam

Executive of the Year

Milwaukee Bucks – Jon Horst

Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year

Memphis Grizzlies – PG Mike Conley Jr.

NBA Cares Community Assist Award

Washington Wizards – G Bradley Beal

House of Highlights Moment of the Year

Minnesota Timberwolves – PG Derrick Rose

Lifetime Achievement Award

Magic Johnson & Larry Bird

Sager Strong Award

Robin Roberts

Hustle Award

Boston Celtics – G Marcus Smart

I hope you guys enjoyed reading my article!

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Social Media:

LinkedIn: Michael Reynoso

Twitter: @GamerMike1991

Stay tuned for more NBA news!

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About the Creator

Michael Reynoso

Sharing life lessons and encouraging athletes to be more than themselves. Also, to help re-assure them by instilling daily encouragement in their lives.

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