The accolades keep rolling in for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo as he was named to this year’s All-NBA First Team Thursday afternoon.
While the focus is on a critical Game 5 that is only hours away from tipping off at Fiserv Forum, the latest honor regarding the Milwaukee Bucks’ sterling regular season has surfaced and it once again centers around their superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
To no surprise, Antetokounmpo was named to this year’s All-NBA First Team as the league announced Thursday afternoon, alongside Stephen Curry, Paul George, James Harden and Nikola Jokic. Additionally, Antetokounmpo, along with Harden, were the only players unanimously selected as ESPN’s Malika Andrews pointed out:
The NBA has announced that Giannis Antetokounmpo was unanimously selected to the 2018-19 All-NBA First Team. Houston Rockets guard James Harden was also unanimously chosen.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) May 23, 2019
Antetokounmpo getting All-NBA First Team honors comes a day after he was named to this year’s NBA All-Defensive First Team, along with Bucks point guard Eric Bledsoe.
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This marks the first time in Antetokounmpo’s six-year career where he’s gotten the nod to the first team as he was previously named All-NBA Second Team in each of the last two seasons.
Of course, simply looking at Antetokounmpo’s strong statistical case from this season speaks for his All-NBA First Team inclusion as he averaged 27.7 points on .578/.256/.729, along with 12.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.3 steals in his 72 appearances in the regular season.
And it’s exactly why he’s viewed as a leading candidate for this year’s Most Valuable Player, along with Harden, and we won’t know who takes home that award until June 24 as part of this year’s NBA Awards show that will be broadcasted on TNT.
Obviously Antetokounmpo taking home All-NBA First Team honors and potentially this year’s MVP impacts the biggest question hanging over his playing future as ESPN’s Bobby Marks detailed following his third consecutive All-NBA honor:
Earning All-NBA for a second consecutive season now has Giannis Antetokounmpo eligible in the summer of 2020 to sign the largest contract in NBA history. The five-year extension starting in 2021-22 would be worth $247.3M and carry a $42.6, $46.0, $49.5, $52.9 and $56.3M cap hit.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) May 23, 2019
Considering that massive payday, Antetokounmpo is unsurprisingly the next test case behind whether the “supermax” will work under how it was intended to when it was implemented in the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement two summers ago. But that’s certainly a topic for another day.
From a historical perspective, Antetokounmpo’s All-NBA First Team nod breaks up a 36-year-long drought for the Bucks as franchise legend and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Sidney Moncrief last took home the honor for the franchise for the 1982-83 season.
That only speaks to just how momentous this recognition is for not only Antetokounmpo but the Bucks themselves and the 24-year-old is rising fast up in the team’s record books with each passing night, game and season he crafts.
Bigger things are certainly on Antetokounmpo’s mind at the moment, but having his incredible season be rightly recognized doesn’t hurt as well. And many more honors are likely on the way too.