Giannis Antetokounmpo vs LeBron James - Why did the Greek Freak deserve the MVP award more than the King did?
When the results were announced for the KIA Most Valuable Player award, it seemed the whole NBA community went up in flames. While many made it a point to mention their love and admiration for this year's winner Giannis Antetokounmpo, the wishes were almost always followed by the statement: "but I think LeBron James should have won it this year".
Yes, many believe the player that is arguably the greatest of all time should have been crowned as the league MVP for the 2019-20 season. While there is a strong argument that can be made for LeBron James, we believe otherwise.
Here are the biggest reasons why we think Giannis Antetokounmpo deserved to win MVP.
Giannis Antetokounmpo outperformed LeBron James in the regular season
While LeBron James was one of the best in the NBA this year, the truth is that Giannis Antetokounmpo outdid the 35-year-old.
Giannis Antetokounmpo averaged an elite 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists over the course of the regular season. On the other hand, Lebron James averaged 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists. While these numbers were impressive, they were bettered by Giannis Antetokounmpo, though.
Many may argue that LeBron James has gotten further in the NBA Playoffs than Giannis Antetokounmpo while playing at a much higher level than the Greek player, doing so when his team needed him the most. While this statement may be true, it can't be considered for this award.
When it comes to an award that pertains to the best and most valuable player during the regular season, we can't think of a more deserving player than Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Giannis Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks had a better record than LeBron James-led LA Lakers
Many have made the argument that the biggest reason LeBron James lost was because his team had another top-five player in the NBA, and we completely agree with that.
It can be easy to forget the impact the presence of a second star can have on a team. After all, without Scootie Pippen, there would be no NBA championships for the franchise, and without Anthony Davis, there would have been no playoffs for LeBron James last season.
Despite his adversary having a top-five player in the NBA as a teammate, Giannis Antetokounmpo willed the Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the NBA, with Khris Middleton as the second-best player on the team.
It's a testament to Giannis Antetokounmpo's ability in the regular season, beating out a stacked LA Lakers team that was not even close to the same supporting cast, which is the biggest reason why we believe that the Greek Freak was the worthy winner of the MVP for the 2019-20 regular season.