Just a few weeks after being named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the 2019 season, Giannis added two more prestigious awards to his collection. The “Greek Freak” was named the ‘Best Male Athlete’ and ‘Best NBA Player’ at the 2019 ESPY Awards.
The ESPY Awards (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) is ESPN’s and ABC’s annual celebration of all things sports. It is considered the sports form of the Oscars for movies and the Grammys for music. The winners of the ESPY awards are determined by fan voting.
Giannis received the highest honor for a male athlete, beating out Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs, NFL), Mookie Betts (Boston Red Soxs, MLB), and Brooks Koepka (Golf) for the ‘Best Male Athlete’ award.
In the running for the “Best NBA Player” award, Giannis outvoted James Harden (Houston Rockets), Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors), and Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder). Both Harden and George were also finalists in the 2019 NBA MVP award, but once again fell out to Antetokounmpo.
In the running for the “Best NBA Player” award, Giannis outvoted James Harden (Houston Rockets), Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors), and Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder). Both Harden and George were also finalists in the 2019 NBA MVP award, but once again fell out to Antetokounmpo.
“This isn’t going to be like the MVP speech. Just letting you guys know I’m not going to cry today,” the Greek Freak joked in his acceptance speech.
“As a kid I never thought I was going to win the ESPYS, so this is all about hard work, and when you believe in your dreams, things like this can happen,” he continued.
Giannis finished the NBA regular season averaging a double-double with 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. In the postseason, Giannis averaged 25.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game as he led the Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals where they lost out to the eventual champions Toronto Raptors.
He will lead Greece at this year’s FIBA World Cup in China from August 29 - September 15.
Source: agonasport.com