NBA News Update: Draymond Green picks 2015 championship over the two with Kevin Durant, Charles Barkley urges Giannis to stay with Milwaukee Bucks
More stories from Inside the NBA on TNT feature in this NBA news update, as Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, and Draymond Green react to Giannis Antetokounmpo winning back-to-back MVP awards.
All five agreed with the decision and felt that the Milwaukee Bucks forward was deserving of the accolade irrespective of his playoff shortcomings. Charles Barkley also explained why Antetokounmpo should remain in Milwaukee.
Later in the same show, three-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, Draymond Green opened up about their victorious campaigns and admitted that the title without Kevin Durant was sweeter than the two with him.
Let's take a look at these NBA news updates.
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NBA News Update: Charles Barkley advises Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay loyal to the Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo has now won his second MVP award despite being just 25 years old. However, people around the NBA have frequently criticized him for being unable to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a championship yet. Charles Barkley slammed those critics and reminded everyone that even the great Michael Jordan did not win his first championship until he was 28.
"It's funny to me that all these guys on television, they're like 'he hasn't won a championship'... He's 25 years old!"
Barkley urged the 'Greek Freak' to be like Dirk Nowitzki and not team up with other superstars in search for a ring.
"I'd love for Giannis to say 'I could go to another team and team-up with another star, but it won't be the same'. That's why I admire Dirk Nowitzki. He didn't leave."
NBA News Update: Draymond Green claims title without Kevin Durant was the best
Asked by Charles Barkley in Inside the NBA to pick the championship that meant the most to him, Draymond Green admitted that the first ring the Golden State Warrirors won in 2015 was the sweetest of the lot. He believed that once Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant figured their chemistry on court out, an NBA championship at the end of the season was a certainty.
"At that point, I knew it was just a matter of time."
Then he went on to claim that nothing was a given before the arrival of Kevin Durant, and that the original Golden State Warriors squad had to grit and grind to win their first title in 2015 - which is why it ranks number one in his mind.
"In 2015, we had to grind every single day. It was way tougher in 2015 and that is why it feels 100% better."
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