Giannis Antetokounmpo says he will not be "crying" for MVP award
Despite regularly being one of the top players in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo hasn't taken home the MVP award in three years. As we approach the final weeks of the regular season, the superstar forward shared his thoughts on taking home the hardware.
During a recent interview, Giannis was asked about this year's MVP race and if he's being overlooked. He responded by saying he has no plans on complaining to the public in hopes of getting his name into an awards race.
"I'm never going to make myself look like I'm crying for a trophy," said Antetokounmpo, sitting at his locker with both of his knees wrapped in mountains of ice. "One thing I'm never going to do is, I'm never going to fall into the bubble, (and) I believe this is a bubble. This is a matrix."
This season, Giannis Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks. Despite having a new superstar teammate in Damian Lillard, the Milwaukee Bucks star is putting up numbers comparable to both of his MVP seasons.
Along with his impressive numbers, the Bucks are also one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. After a slight dip following their coaching change, they are tied for second place with a 42-24 record.
Where does Giannis Antetokounmpo fall in latest MVP ladder?
For what it's worth, Giannis Antetokounmpo has gotten a lot of MVP buzz this year. However, many have talked about the award like it's a two player race. Since Joel Embiid was removed from consideration, the top two frontrunners are Nikola Jokic and OKC Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
In the latest MVP ladder, Giannis finds himself in the third spot. He is viewed ahead of other elite stars such as Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum. SGA is one spot ahead of Giannis, with Jokic laying claim to No. 1.
From a production standpoint, Giannis deserves to be in the mix for MVP. That said, narrative could end up being the thing that hurts his case. For a brief period, things looked to be going off the rails for the Bucks. They fired Adrian Griffin and replaced him with Doc Rivers, which caused growing pains and a losing skid.
Seeing how the Bucks were viewed in a negative light for that stretch, it could hurt Giannis' chances of winning MVP. Even though they managed to turn things around in a big way, the damage might already be done.
With a little over a month to go, Giannis Antetokounmpo still has time to cement his case on the court. He'll likely end up being a finalist, but is fighting an uphill battle trying to get votes away from SGA and Jokic.