Tearful Antetokounmpo named NBA Most Valuable Player

新華網| 2019-06-25 16:55:48|Editor: Yurou

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Giannis Antetokounmpo (R, upper) of the Milwaukee Bucks lays up in Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals in Milwaukee, United States, on May 15, 2019. (Xinhua)

LOS ANGELES, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Milwaukee Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the 2018-19 regular season on Monday.

The 24-year-old was full of tears as he accepted the honor at the glitzy NBA Awards show broadcast from Santa Monica, California. He beat out 2018 MVP James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George for the honor.

Antetokounmpo received 941 points and 78 first-place votes in the balloting - 165 points more than Harden.

Antetokounmpo averaged 27.7 points and 12.5 rebounds while earning All-NBA first-team honors this season, his sixth with the Bucks. He led the franchise to the best record in the regular season and the Bucks reached the Eastern Conference finals.

"MVP is not about stats and numbers, and obviously James Harden had unbelievable numbers and Paul George also, but obviously it's about winning," Antetokounmpo said backstage.

"We created great habits throughout the season and were able to stick by them, and that's why we were able to have a chance in every single game we played and were able to win 60 games."

Harden finished second with 776 points and 23 first-place votes.

Antetokounmpo thanked his team, his late father, Charles Antetokounmpo, his mother and brothers in tears. He became the first Bucks player named MVP since 1974 when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - a three-time MVP in Milwaukee - took home the award.

Mike Budenholzer won Coach of the Year, and Jon Horst took Executive of the Year, both of whom are from the Bucks.

Coach Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks expresses disagreement with the referee in Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals in Milwaukee, United States on May 23, 2019. (Xinhua)

Budenholzer guided the Bucks to a 60-22 record in the regular season in his first year with the franchise, leading them to the Eastern Conference finals, where they lost to eventual NBA champion Toronto.

Lou Williams was voted the Sixth Man of the Year for the second season in a row and third time in his career, tying former Los Angeles Clipper guard Jamal Crawford.

Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz won Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.

Pascal Siakam of the NBA champions Toronto Raptors earned Most Improved Player. The 25-year-old from Cameroon averaged 16.9 points and started 79 of 80 regular-season games for the Raptors in his third year with the team.