Three seasons ago, the Milwaukee Bucks‘ Giannis Antetokounmpo emerged as a fully-fledged superstar when he won his first regular-season MVP award.
A year later, he won another MVP, as well as the Defensive Player of the Year award, putting him in some very select company.
Last summer, Antetokounmpo won his first NBA championship while taking home the NBA Finals MVP award, capping off the championship series with a 50-point, 14-rebound, five-block eruption in Game 6.
Now, the Greek Freak is continuing to add to his collection of individual honors.
Just days ago, he was named to the All-Defensive First Team for the fourth year in a row.
The 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Defensive First Team:
🏀 Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee)
🏀 Mikal Bridges (Phoenix)
🏀 Rudy Gobert (Utah)
🏀 Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis)
🏀 Marcus Smart (Boston) pic.twitter.com/YQgyjt9qSP— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 21, 2022
Antetokounmpo may have lost out on winning the MVP the last two years, as the voters went with the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic both times, but he continues to prove that he is still the best player in basketball.
Antetokounmpo Gets It Done At Both Ends Of The Floor
In the NBA, the minimum definition of a superstar, if there is a consensus one, is someone who a championship team can be built around as the main man and can take over contests offensively.
It helps if that player is also very good at one or two other facets of the game, such as passing or rebounding.
Antetokounmpo definitely fits that definition, as he averaged 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game this season.
Watching him play, it’s easy to forget he is 6-foot-11, as he plays like a guard with his full-game, ball-handling skills, and ability to facilitate and hit the open man.
He is a one-man fast break, and his long arms and strides allow him to attack the rim for a dunk from several feet away.
But Antetokounmpo’s defense is what sets him apart from almost every other superstar.
He is a true game-changer on that end of the floor, with the ability to both protect the rim and contain his man one-on-one.
Witness his clutch block on the Phoenix Suns’ Deandre Ayton during last year’s NBA Finals.
Using his incredible defensive instincts, length, and athleticism, Giannis Antetokounmpo recovered and met Ayton way up to make his game-saving block! #NBABreakdown
Game 5: Saturday at 9pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/ik6uD32qgY
— NBA (@NBA) July 17, 2021
Then there was his game-winning block against another MVP candidate, Joel Embiid, late in the regular season.
🏆 Bodog player of the day:
🌟 @Giannis_An34 🌟
40 points ☑️
14 rebounds ☑️
Game ending block ☑️
Bucks beat Sixers ☑️#FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/ML32Dk5ZY9— Bodog (@BodogCA) March 30, 2022
Antetokounmpo has led the NBA in defensive box plus/minus two times and once in defensive win shares.
He is the rare superstar who impacts the game on a high level at both ends of the floor.
How Much More Hardware Could Antetokounmpo Add In The Years To Come?
The Greek Freak is just 27, an age at which most superstars have just entered their prime and are just starting to figure out how to be their best selves.
But he already has a resume that stacks up extremely well with any 27-year-old in NBA history.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has his 7th career playoff game with 30 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists, tying Elgin Baylor for 4th-most in NBA history.
Only Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and LeBron James have more. pic.twitter.com/JzlDE9cub5
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 14, 2022
Giannis Antetokounmpo at age 25:
▫️2x MVP
▫️Defensive Player of the Year
▫️Most Improved Player
▫️4x All-Star
▫️4x All-NBA
▫️3x All-DefenseThis is just the beginning of a legendary career 🦌 pic.twitter.com/rVewjTBGbI
— Top Ball Coverage (@TopBallCoverage) September 18, 2020
Giannis Antetokounmpo has become the first player in history to win an NBA title, and be named the Most Valuable Player (MVP), the Defensive Player Of the Year (DPOY), the Most Improved Player (MIP), the All-Star Game MVP and the Finals MVP in their career.#CitiSports pic.twitter.com/fVrBcqyOfz
— Citi Sports (@CitiSportsGHA) July 21, 2021
His Bucks are set up pretty well for the immediate future, with Khris Middleton, their second-best player, at age 30 and Jrue Holiday at age 31.
They could very well win another world title next season, and Antetokounmpo could very well another MVP or two in the next two seasons, depending on how his team does in the regular season.
In two or three years, when Holiday’s contract expires, if the Bucks are able to retool and add a younger two-way point guard, they can set themselves up for championship contention for a few more years.
Given that he continues to have enough help for the next several years, Antetokounmpo could very well end up with at least three championships, which would put him in some very select company in the annals of NBA history.
NEXT: Giannis Antetokounmpo Has Nothing To Feel Bad About This Season