Giannis named NBA MVP for second straight season

Giannis Antetokounmpo has become the 12th player in NBA to history win back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday morning that the Milwaukee Bucks superstar had edged out the Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James and the Houston Rockets James Harden to take home the coveted award.

Antetokounmpo was dominant for the Bucks in helping them to the best record in the NBA. He averaged a career-best 29.5 points and 13.6 rebounds per game, while his Player Efficiency Rating (31.9) was more than two points higher than the next closest player.

Milwaukee joins Boston and the Lakers in having at least two players win the award multiple times. This is Antetokounmpo’s second year winning, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won it three times while playing with the Bucks.

However, Antetokounmpo has done something that not even Abdul-Jabbar could accomplish, winning MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season. He joins Basketball Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to do it in NBA history.