Giannis Antetokounmpo earns first All-Star MVP trophy, win with Team LeBron

Giannis Antetokounmpo has always been must-see television in the All-Star game, and Sunday night proved to be his most memorable performance to date.

The two-time MVP was the first overall pick by Team LeBron in this year’s star-studded draft, earning his fifth consecutive appearance on the big stage for the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis is known to give it everything he has in this game, and he carried on that storied tradition this time around.

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In just 19 minutes of burn, the Greek Freak was doing everything from catching lobs to making plays to others to running the floor and throwing it down like he does best.

Antetokounmpo had scored 35 points when it was all finished and shot an astounding 16-of-16 from the floor, a new All-Star Game record. Chipping in seven rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal, Antetokounmpo stuffed the stat sheet in his limited time on the floor.

Certainly the most compelling part about his big night was that he was a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the arc, knocking down triples with ease like it was just warmups. Bucks fans were likely wide-eyed looking at that one, thinking of the endless possibilities if he could ever equip that shooting stroke into his arsenal full time.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s big night earned him more hardware as he was named the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP.

His herculean performance helped propel Team Lebron to a sizeable 170-150 win over Team Durant.

The contributions from his teammates should not be overshadowed, as Stephen Curry (28 points), Damian Lillard (32 points), and Jaylen Brown (22 points) all helped keep Team LeBron in the driver’s seat for most of the night. While each individual undoubtedly posed a strong case, it was Antetokounmpo who earned the game’s most prestigious honor, taking home the second-ever Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP.

Of course, this award likely means more to Giannis than a simple trophy like the handful of others he has stashed away at home, given Bryant’s namesake is now associated with the award.

Bryant has always been someone Antetokounmpo has looked up to, even going as so far as challenging a 23-year-old Giannis to win league MVP honors before the 2017-18 season. When he did not win that season, the two linked up for a workout in the summer of 2018 to help change that.

In the following two seasons, Antetokounmpo completed the challenge as he took home not one but two league-MVP awards. Now, the two-time MVP has another award added to his never-ending list of achievements, this one named after one of his basketball idols that helped mold him into the player he is today.

In an event that shook the NBA landscape forever, Bryant and eight others passed away in a helicopter crash on January 26th. Although one of Antetokounmpo’s biggest influences was not there to see him win the award, he knows that the four-time All-Star MVP would be proud.

With a hectic All-Star weekend in the rearview, Giannis and the rest of the Bucks can get some much-need rest and shift their focus back to the regular season. Sitting with a 22-14 record at the break, this team certainly still has some work left to do, and hopefully the time off has been kind to them.

The Bucks will resume the regular season this coming Thursday as they host the New York Knicks for a rematch of Eastern Conference playoff contenders.