Giannis shows his true value
Humble star asks fans to stop calling him ‘MVP’
The rest of the world may look at little him differently now. But Giannis Antetokounmpo is really OK if people would all just keep calling him Giannis. Not the MVP.
In fact – that was his request of Milwaukee Bucks fans.
During a presentation Sunday which was set up for Antetokoumnpo to greet his fans for the first time since being named the NBA’s most valuable player and to present his new signature Nike shoe, Antetokounmpo asked the fans to give the “MVP, MVP!” chants a rest.
“After this day, July 14, please, please, please – do me this favor, so I can be better, I can be a better player, I can lead this city to win a championship – please don’t call me MVP,” Antetokounmpo said in the plaza in front of Fiserv Forum.
“Until I win it again next year.” The crowd went crazy.
This was a message the 24-year-old reiterated throughout the day, which was another stop on a whirlwind tour that has included trips to California, Las Vegas and Greece in the short weeks since the Eastern Conference Finals concluded his season.
Antetokounmpo was more humble than ever in his comments, both publicly and with reporters in a brief news conference. Wearing his signature shoes, he said he appreciated earning the MVP trophy and all that at stood for.
“Let me tell you why,” said Antetokounmpo, who then said he would be polite in his choice of words. “I work my butt off every single day.”
Antetokounmpo went on to thank his teammates, saying the trophy belonged to them as well; he praised his coach
Mike Budenholzer, the organization. And he thanked fans for their support. The crowd reveled in the moment. But later, at the news conference, Antetokounmpo looked at once like someone who accepted the praise and awards as a byproduct of hard work, but also didn’t quite believe it had really happened. It was as if he were still grappling with the struggle and work and life that he’s always known, and this new identity of recognition, as well.
“When I look at this trophy, man … it’s all the days that I was mad, all the days I was happy, all the days I was in pain, all the days I was upset …” said Antetotounmpo. “We could be better.
“It’s the whole season, right here in this trophy. And not just the season – and the moments behind the scenes – but when I am back home with my family, that they support me on a daily basis. They want me to be successful. When I look at this trophy, that’s what I see.”
But he doesn’t want to change his identity. When his girlfriend or his three brothers tell him he’s the best player in the world – or one of the best – he doesn’t want to hear it.
“I get mad. I’m like, ‘No I’m not. No I’m not.’ I feel like when that happens, I relax,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m a person that whatever I do, I do 100%.
“If I’m lazy, I’m lazy 100%. If I work hard, I work hard 100%. So I do not want to relax a bit. Because I’m not done yet. I’m not done. I want to be, for multiple years, one of the best players in the league.
“And by people calling me the MVP, that’s not going to help me. So that’s why I said, from this day on, I don’t want to be the MVP. I’m just Giannis, and let’s go get something bigger.”
Antetokounmpo said this was a summer like no other. He has pushed hard to stay focused. He’s done 5 a.m. workouts on the road to stay sharp.
“I cannot wait for the season to start and get back to my routine,” Antetokounmpo said.