Giannis Antetokounmpo is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the NBA today.
In many peoples’ books, he is the absolute best.
With that in mind, Antetokounmpo stepped out and commented on something of a contentious topic this week: the ongoing MVP race.
Specifically, he addressed all the stuff that seems to go into the MVP race that is unrelated to playing quality, meaningful basketball.
“Look, I will never try to create a narrative about the work I put in and maybe that might hurt me because I believe the last five years I’ve been the MVP,” he told Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report.
“Do I want a third MVP? Hell f–king yeah I want a third one. I am extremely competitive. I try to make my team successful. That’s what I get paid for.
“That’s what I’m here for. I’m never going to be one who discredits anybody else’s work. That’s not who I am as a person. And I will never beg for an MVP award that I believe I deserve. I’m very proud that I’m able to play at an MVP level because that means I’m making my team very successful. That’s the goal.”
The MVP race this year seems to be down to Antetokounmpo and Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid. The latter was the highest scoring player in the league this season, while the former led the Milwaukee Bucks to the Eastern Conference’s best record.
This isn’t the first time in recent weeks Antetokounmpo has spoken so bluntly about he MVP race. Clearly it means something to him.
And as he made clear when he revealed which NBA player he admires most, Antetokounmpo isn’t one to bite his tongue. He calls it how he sees it.
The viral fan from this year’s Masters has been identified. https://t.co/YGJlwoxXMl
— Game 7 (@game7__) April 10, 2023
Both the good and the bad.
Will the NBA ultimately reward Antetokounmpo with his third career MVP award this season? Time will tell.
Related: Masters Fan Who Went Viral Amid Jon Rahm Win Identified (Photos)
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
