Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo looks to join repeat MVP club
By Adam McGee
As the Milwaukee Bucks prepare for the new season, superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will have his mind focused on joining the exclusive repeat MVP club.
Standing on stage in front of his adoring public and the arena his play ensures is full throughout the season, Giannis Antetokounmpo made his intentions very clear.
On an occasion designed to celebrate his 2018-19 NBA Most Valuable Player win, Antetokounmpo couldn’t help but look ahead to what he hopes to do next.
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"“After this day, please, please, please do me this favor so I can be a better player, lead this team to a championship: please don’t call me MVP. Please, after this day don’t call me MVP until I win it again next year.”"
That’s not to say the Antetokounmpo didn’t thoroughly enjoy and savor the MVP event staged for him by the Bucks and Nike a couple of weeks ago, in fact, a video released by the Bucks on Tuesday showed just how special it was for the 24-year-old.
Still, it tells you everything you need to know about Antetokounmpo, and exactly the personality trait that allowed him to reach these heights, that he’s already hungry for more success and further improvement.
Considering his team-first mentality, and larger aspirations, top of Antetokounmpo’s wish list for next season will undoubtedly be an NBA championship. But in working to reach those heights, it’s entirely possible that Antetokounmpo could yet be crowned MVP again. In fact, he’s currently the favorite to do exactly that.
What would it mean for Antetokounmpo to claim back-to-back MVP wins? First and foremost, it would see him join a very exclusive club that’s graced by some of the very best players to ever play the game. One MVP trophy is evidence of peaking at the highest level, but multiple is proof of the kind of sustained greatness that will be remembered forever.
In total, only 13 players (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, LeBron James, Moses Malone, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Bob Pettit, Karl Malone, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, Stephen Curry) have won multiple MVP awards, with 11 of that group repeating as winners at least once.
Since the turn of the century, only Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, LeBron James and Stephen Curry have joined that group, showing just the kind of status that is afforded to players who reach this particular summit.
The Bucks are certainly built for team success again next year, particularly in the weaker Eastern Conference, and that would certainly seem to be a great starting point for Antetokounmpo’s MVP bid. Of course, Giannis has improved notably every season since he’s entered the NBA too, which certainly leaves the possibility for another notable leap forward for him in 2019-20.
The real wild card facing Antetokounmpo is how both he and the Bucks decide to approach the season. Having gone deep into the playoffs last summer, and set to play for Greece in the FIBA World Cup ahead of this campaign, Antetokounmpo may well be subject to increased load management across the course of the upcoming season.
Even beyond that, Antetokounmpo has occasionally hinted at the prospect of pacing himself throughout the NBA season in order to peak in the playoffs, much like many of the league’s more experienced stars have been doing for many years.
Next. Milwaukee Bucks retain impressive flexibility on final roster spot. dark
Whatever recipe the Bucks and Antetokounmpo ultimately cook up to manage his workload throughout the season, there’s certainly every reason to believe he can add another MVP trophy to his collection. If he manages to do that, he and the Bucks should be well-placed to chase a championship too.