Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is waiting for the official announcement before fully accepting the result of this year’s NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) voting.
ESPN reporter Shams Charania announced that Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will receive the award. Giannis appeared to react with disbelief when he saw the news.
Giannis is one of the three finalists for MVP. However, it was mostly a close contest between Gilgeous-Alexander and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić. In ESPN analyst Tim Bontemps’ final straw poll, Gilgeous-Alexander received 77 first-place votes, while Jokić got 23. Giannis finished a distant third.
Jokić performed at a level as high as during his three previous MVP seasons. He averaged 29.6 points with 57.6 percent shooting, along with 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game. The Nuggets won 50 games and secured the fourth seed in the Western Conference.
However, voter fatigue can be a challenge for players who have already won one or more MVP awards.
Gilgeous-Alexander also deserves recognition. He led the NBA in scoring with 32.7 points per game and averaged 6.4 assists. The Thunder’s strong performance boosted his case, as the team won 68 games and posted the highest net rating (+12.7) in the league, according to NBA.com.
While playoff performance does not affect the MVP voting, Gilgeous-Alexander’s recent play in the playoffs is proving his value. He is averaging nearly 30 points per game (29.2) as the Thunder lead the Minnesota Timberwolves 1-0 in the Western Conference Finals.
