Giannis Antetokounmpo Named The MVP At The 2019 NBA Awards

Since the 2018-19 NBA season ended, we’ve all waiting to see who’d be named the most valuable player. Well, the 2019 NBA Awards took place last night and, just as we expected, Greek-Nigerian player, Giannis Antetokounmpo nabbed the prize — the third youngest winner in the past 40 years.

(Photo: USA Today)

Since Antetokounmpo started the season with classy performances for the Milwaukee Bucks, he has always been seen as the ideal candidate for the award. The “Greek Freak”, as he’s commonly called, led his team to the Eastern Conference Finals, averaging a total of 27.7 points in the season.

He was in contention for the award against other big players, including James Harden. In the balloting for the award, Antetokounmpo took first place after receiving 941 points and 78 first-place votes, while Harden finished second with 776 points and 23 first-place votes.

Watch the 24-year-old’s tearful acceptance speech below:

Congratulations to @Giannis_An34 of the @Bucks on winning the 2018-19 Most Valuable Player! #KiaMVP #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/l8SN27FFTG

— NBA (@NBA) June 25, 2019