Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is an eight-time All-Star, a former Defensive Player of the Year, NBA champion, and two-time MVP.
He is again having an amazing season but isn’t spoken of as an MVP candidate much.
According to Antetokounmpo, that doesn’t matter and he isn’t focused on the race for Most Valuable Player.
Surprisingly, the future Hall of Famer actually feels like he’s sometimes the worst player in the league.
“I’m confident in the work that I put in, and I can live with the outcome… I feel like I’m the worst player in the NBA. I’ll be honest with you. I feel like in a moment this can be taken away from me,” Antetokounmpo said, per Sam Amick of The Athletic via ClutchPoints.
Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo on whether he's being overlooked in the MVP convo 🗣
"I'm confident in the work that I put in, and I can live with the outcome… I feel like I'm the worst player in the NBA. I'll be honest with you. I feel like in a moment this can be taken away… pic.twitter.com/tPOYosvZsL
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 14, 2024
In some ways, this is a preposterous thing to say because Antetokounmpo is obviously one of the best basketball players alive.
At the same time, Antetokounmpo is never truly satisfied with himself and his team unless he is earning a championship.
Therefore, it’s not surprising to hear that he doesn’t view himself as an MVP or even all that great.
He is always demanding more from himself and is never going to be truly content.
Antetokounmpo is averaging 30.8 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game.
He is again leading his team, who are having a strong season.
They are the third-best team in the Eastern Conference and have been looking better lately, although they recently suffered a really ugly loss to the Sacramento Kings.
They have tweaked their defensive plans under new head coach Doc Rivers and fans are hopeful they can keep growing in the last few weeks of the regular season.
If they do that, they might have a chance at overcoming the Boston Celtics in the playoffs.
But even if they do, Antetokounmpo will not view himself as a great player.
Instead, he will see himself as someone who can and should always be better.
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