Giannis Antetokounmpo’s top 5 moments from a historic 2021

It was an incredible year for Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021. He had one of the best playoff runs and Finals performances in NBA history, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to their first championship in 50 years and finally reaching his goal of becoming an NBA champion. His year was so good that he was even named GQ’s Athlete of the Year. Let’s take a look at his five best moments from 2021.

Honorable Mention – Giannis Antetokounmpo’s perfect All-Star Game

I tried, but I couldn’t keep it to just the top five moments, and this one was too good not to at least mention. Giannis put up 35 points in the 2021 All-Star Game and couldn’t miss… literally. He went 16-for-16 from the field, making multiple jumpers and hitting shots from all over the court. It was a truly remarkable performance as he helped Team LeBron defeat Team Durant 170-150, and he took home All-Star Game MVP for the first time in his career.

No. 5 – Giannis Antetokounmpo puts up back-to-back 40-point games in the NBA Finals (July 8th, July 11th)

Before the 2021 Finals, only five players in history had scored 40+ points in back-to-back Finals games: Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Jerry West, Rick Barry, and Shaquille O’Neal. Then, 26-year-old Giannis put up 42 points and 12 rebounds on 15-22 shooting in Game 3 before following that up with 41 points and 13 rebounds on 14-23 shooting in Game 4.

Giannis was the only player besides Shaq to put up back-to-back 40-point, 10-rebound games in the Finals, and he was the first player in Finals history to have more points than minutes in back-to-back games. These two games were Giannis’ NBA Finals coming-out party, and they made it clear to everyone that he was back to normal after the injury he had suffered against Atlanta in the Eastern Conference Finals.