My goal is to win a championship and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen., Sources: Kawhi to become free agent; Raptors favorite, Paul denies trade request: Happy to stay in Houston, After profane tirade, Mets have to fire manager Callaway, France beats Brazil, keeps possibility of dream QF alive. He scored an absolutely astonishing 50 points in the 105-98 Game 6 clincherto go along with 14 rebounds and five blocks. Im going to be there in the streets with them. Transcripts & captions for a better media workflow. Im curious with this layoff as long as its been, how much or how little have you been able to get a feel from teammates? This is Antetokounmpo's second in a row. Thank you for bestowing upon me this prestigious award. Milwaukee Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo capped off an incredible year by being named MVP of the 2018-19 NBA season during the league's awards show on Monday night. Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma. GIANNIS CAME UP CLUTCHA HUGE block when it mattered pic.twitter.com/ZbyMCj8L1s. And as I said tried to get ready for Orlando. I think were a great team, great players, we have great chemistry on the court and off the court. Milwaukee Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo MVP case catching Embiid, Jokic You just get better from it, learn from it and come ready next year and go at it again. Transcribe Your Own Content Don't pencil in Joel Embiid as MVP just yet. I feel like Im going to need to go. MILWAUKEE (AP) Three weeks ago, a knee injury left Giannis Antetokounmpo looking 50/50 to return for the rest of the Bucks playoff run. Jun 24, 2022 Before he was an MVP and an NBA champion, Giannis Antetokounmpo was a raw, skinny, largely unknown prospect, dismissed by half the league until the Bucks made him the 15th pick. But as I said, whoever wants more, whoever is mentally prepared for this whats going to go on in Orlando thats the team that is going to come on top. Dallas Mavericks Star Struggles In Playoffs And Fans Worry, LeBron James: Building A Legacy Of Empowerment And Hope Through I Promise, The Resilience Of Love: A Look At LeBron & Savannahs Timeless Relationship. Extend your content reach and maximize your engagement rates. But now just going in there for like a month or a month and a half before you see your family, thats going to be tough. Guys are going to be rusty, youre going to see a lot of balls, people throw the ball through the stands or turnovers, youre going to see that. Greatness. What was that? In a frantic race up the court, Holiday hit Antetokounmpo with one of the most ambitious lob passes in postseason history. My goal is to win a championship and I am going to do whatever it takes to make that happen.. I wanted to do it here in this city. So I just got to stay locked in, mind my business, dont say much. I feel like this year, lose or win, that did not happen. Whats the caliber of basketball going to be like down there? But at the end of the day, if you really, really put your mind and your focus in everything on it the eventually its going to happen. And obviously I dont think theres going to be any player thats not going to be a little sad leaving their family behind, but it is what it is and you got to do your job. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. He also thanked the fans for believing in him, and said he wouldnt have been able to achieve success without their support. So its kind of weird, youre not as close to your teammate as you would want to be. Giannis, when asked about his future: "As long as everybody's on the same page and as long as everybody's fighting for the same thing, fighting for the same thing every single day, which is to be a champion, I don't see why not to be in Milwaukee for the next 15 years.". Giannis great to see you. Im happy. The Bucks have to find a second scorer. So whoever wants it more is going to be able to go out there and take it. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Commissioner.com is a registered trademark of CBS Interactive Inc. site: media | arena: nba | pageType: stories | With all the time away, what do you think that has done to your game and to your skills and to your health and how do you think thats affected some of your teammates too as you start to get to see them more? Speaker 1: (00:01) Very humble guy. Instead, he chose to remain with the Bucks on a five-year deal, and the move paid off as he got to win the title he craved in front of the fans who have been cheering him on since Day 1. section: | slug: nba-finals-bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-backs-up-viral-humility-speech-with-unselfish-game-5-performance | sport: basketball | route: article_single.us | 9:56 am ET. Yeah. At the end of the day we got to do our job and I know that the NBA is going to do their job and the NBPA are going to do their job to keep us as safe as possible to make this transition as easy as possible for us. But as I said theyre ready for this journey and as a leader Im going to try to make it as easy as possible for them. Thank you. My goal is to win a championship and we are going to do whatever it takes to make that happen." On Tuesday, he silenced the doubters and won his first NBA championship. Obviously we have no fans out there. Obviously I think like once we get to Orlando the level of basketball a lot of guys are going to go full speed because a lot of players miss basketball. The Milwaukee Bucks forward was named the NBAs MVP for the 2018-19 season at the ceremony, held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. NBA Champion And Finals MVP 'Greek Freak' Credits Faith, Family How much consideration did you give to not playing, not going to Orlando? Giannis Antetokounmpo: (04:01) If something happened and knock on wood, we not able to go the way win the whole thing thats life. I think a lot of basketball players around the league really enjoyed that. My girlfriend do that for me. I wondered what questions or concerns you had for the league to feel safe about playing and what I mean by that is did you ask about the medical facilities down there or the staff or how frequently testing? Just the bubble experience of not being with your family. Eric Naim: (01:55) Well have time for two more questions. Unlike Jordan, Antetokounmpo has earned all four awards in the span of two seasons. And finally, there was an unselfish play that might have gone unnoticed. What were you concerned about and what were you reassured with whatever answers you got? I want to thank my dad. Hi Giannis. Every time I walk into the locker room, I saw my teammates, they were ready to go, to fight, they were ready to go to war with me.. Giannis Antetokounmpo EMOTIONAL SPEECH - Most Valuable Player Award - 2019 NBA Awards House of Highlights 7.83M subscribers Subscribe 194K 6.1M views 3 years ago SUBSCRIBE, LIKE & COMMENT. Im curious you have a newborn son at home, you went out of your way to participate in marches, supporting the black lives matter movement in Milwaukee. ", He could have succumbed to his pride with thoughts about the future: "When I go for 50 tonight and bring my team back, it will cement my NBA legacy.". Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo (born Adetokunbo; December 6, 1994) is a Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). That's humility. First of all we had time away. Giannis Antetokounmpo was crowned NBA Finals MVP after leading the Milwaukee Bucks to their first championship since 1971 in a six-game series win over the Phoenix Suns.The 26-year-old forward . Basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo took part in a press conference today where he talked about the NBA season restart, saying this will be the "toughest championship to win" due to not being able to see family and not being able to have fans. How is the format going be? 6-keys: media/spln/nba/reg/free/stories, By pressing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the. The most accurate AI-powered transcription on the market. I was just wondering as a new father, just being away from your family for at least a few weeks, how difficult is that going to be? It is fitting that his mural pays tribute to NBA superstar Giannis, who exemplifies what hard work and dedication can accomplish. Perhaps most impressively, he made 17 of his 19 free throws after struggling at the line all postseason. Giannis Antetokounmpo - Wikipedia Giannis Antetokounmpo: (00:27) Obviously I know that Im going to be a little bit rusty. And were going to try to do that with every means possible. And after Jrue Holiday made a steal with the Bucks protecting a one-point lead in the final minute of Game 5, the 6-foot-11Antetokounmpo raced down the court and was on the receiving end of Holidays alley-oop that helped clinch the game. pic.twitter.com/ys2pQ56VFm. ", Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) June 25, 2019. Giannis Antetokounmpo: (10:32) 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Youve got to push yourself through this. Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. What was it? Giannis' MVP speech was EMOTIONAL #Shorts - YouTube Its tough to not play basketball for a while but youve got to figure out other ways to get better. I was the same kind of guy. But that is a skill that I've tried to, like, kind of -- how do you say it, perfect it, master it. Im going to do whatever it takes to help my team win and Im going to win MVP. Its weird. Every day that I step on the floor I always think of my dad and that motivates me and pushes me to play harder and move forward.. section: | slug: giannis-antetokounmpo-wins-2021-nba-finals-mvp-bucks-star-becomes-youngest-winner-since-kawhi-leonard-in-2014 | sport: basketball | route: article_single.us | Milwaukee needed another big play at the end of Game 5. First, Giannis could have easily forced his way to the basket in transition to try to get a layup or get fouled, but instead, he recognized that he had drawn three Suns defenders and fired a beautiful one-handed, no-look laser to the corner for a wide-open Portis 3-pointer. Giannis Antetokounmpo joins Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players NBA history to win a regular season MVP Award, a Finals MVP Award and a Defensive Player of the Year Award. He earned back-to-back MVP honors in 2019 and 2020 while leading the Bucks to the leagues best regular-season record each of those years, but they kept falling short in the playoffs. Discover why Rev is the #1 speech-to-text service in the world. (Morry Gash/AP) This is an excerpt from Ben Golliver's NBA Post Up . #MambaMentality https://t.co/dhZTFI1Aam, Kobe Bryant wrote on Twitter, "My man.M.V.P. Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo's $1M move proves he's real MVP But as a team leader I got to be ready because I think like a lot of guys in the team follow my lead. Its kind of hard. He also showed emotion when discussing his brothers and parents, saying they are his heroes. But at the end of the day Ive heard a lot of people say that this is going to be how you guys say the star next to this championship. It's one thing to say the right thing, but it's quite another to back it up on the court. NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo thanks God in MVP acceptance speech If you have a good parent, your parent sees the future for you. But Giannis saved his best for last. Basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo is making headlines for the emotional speech he made at the NBA Awards on Monday night. He acknowledged getting too caught up in the emotional swings of each win and loss earlier in his career. Giannis Antetokounmpo's 2019 MVP speech was an inspiring moment for basketball fans everywhere. Congratulations to @Giannis_An34 of the @Bucks on winning the 2018-19 Most Valuable Player! I feel like at the end of the day this is going to be the toughest championship you could ever win. That's exactly what Antetokounmpo did in Milwaukee's pivotal 123-119 Game 5 road win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, which puts the Bucks one win away from their first NBA championship in 50 years. So yeah, you got to be ready for both scenarios, win or lose. Instead, his humility allowed him to realize that tipping the ball to ANY other Buck on the court would have resulted in a much higher chance of victory. Obviously being a new father Ive had the opportunity now for months to being able to see my son grow and be around him. Speaker 3: (17:13) They've grown from unheralded youngsters into Milwaukee legends together. Antetokounmpo jumped out to defend Devin Booker off a dribble handoff, so Booker threw a lob up to DeAndre Ayton that should have tied the game. All-Access: Team Giannis Wins the 2023 All-Star Game! Im happy we were able to get it done.. His Case in Six Words: Giannis Antetokounmpo Is the Most Dominant He's been most dominant the last three years. Giannis' MVP speech was EMOTIONAL #Shorts @nbaeurope 219 Dislike 9 POV Every day you wake up with a new way to make money @devincaherlyshorts Like Dislike Share $5 Christmas Present. Obviously if we could get the one person to get like a seventh foul, we get like extra time out or a coachs challenge it obviously is going to help the team. Antetokounmpo didn't let it. Lance Allen: (17:18) Basketball star Giannis Antetokounmpo took part in a press conference today where he talked about the NBA season restart, saying this will be the toughest championship to win due to not being able to see family and not being able to have fans. pic.twitter.com/sAQxFV29Kc. The Numbers don't lie: Giannis is MVP | NBA.com giannis mvp speech transcript - crcstprep.com Giannis Antetokounmpo just served everyone a reminder that he's in the MVP conversation, too Mike D. Sykes, II March 30, 2022 11:26 am ET The collective 76ers fanbase (and Drew Hanlen) got. But obviously behind closed doors it can be differently. Antetokounmpo finished with his usual, dominant stat line of 32 points, nine rebounds and six assists, but his performance was marked by unselfishness, patience, and, yes, humility. Antetokounmpo picked up his scoring in the second half, putting up 20 of his 32 points, but he didn't stop playing team basketball. Antetokounmpo couldn't have done this without his favorite teammate, and with Middleton's help, he became the 2021 Finals MVP. But I dont expect in the first game or second game or third game guys going to be a hundred percent. Speaker 3: (09:07) I kind of feel like being at home and Im really competitive as a person. Yeah the opportunity to spend time with our families. I wanted to do it with these guys. Add English on-screen subtitles for videos. I did the best job I could do and tried to stay ready and try to have my team ready for this new journey that we are about to go and leave and play games. This is just the beginning. After receiving the award, Giannis hugged his parents, his brother Thanasis, and his agent Alex Saratsis. Obviously whoever team wants it more has got to be mentally prepared for all this situation and got to go out there and execute. Giannis Antetokounmpo may have won the NBAs 2019 Most Valuable Player award, but it was the embrace he shared with his family that had everyone talking. Pride and ego would have told Antetokounmpo, who had missed three consecutive clutch free throws, to grab the ball and prove to everyone that he can make them. The 24-year-old center, who was taken with the 15th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, edged out James Harden and Paul George to win his first MVP award of his brief career. Antetokounmpo had at least 40 points and 10 rebounds in three of the six games in this series. What are they allowing from a safety standpoint? It takes more than one person to win sixty games. Giannis Antetokounmpo: (16:05) But I know whatever she puts in there is going to be a lot of probably shorts, a lot of t-shirts. That play was rewarded with the MVP award, making Antetokounmpo, 24, the youngest winner since Derrick Rose in 2011. The heartfelt embrace shared by Giannis and his family was a heartwarming reminder of how much we can all achieve when we have the support of those closest to us. Next question Lance Allen WTMJ television. Are we going to be able to bring our family there from day one? He collected 20 points and 17 rebounds in a Game 1 loss. Giannis Antetokounmpo Wins MVP Award At 2019 NBA Awards Show With Obviously when you go against somebody you dont want to live with him, you dont see him every day. Giannis Antetokounmpo: (19:01) Because the circumstances are really, really tough right now. Giannis Antetokounmpo: (02:16) There are no counters. Antetokounmpo kept his faith in the Bucks by signing a supermax extension in December. How are you doing? Obviously I can speak for myself, my teammates I think theyre excited to play in Orlando, to play basketball again, to go out there and chase the title. I'm happy I can step on the floor with this guy and play every single minute with this guy, and the rest of the guys, but Khris especially.". Giannis Antetokounmpo: (01:20) Yes he made me cry!!! He is doing what he is doing now, but I think he would have been off the bench in the past. Instead, he tipped it back to Khris Middleton, a much better free throw shooter, who knocked down one out of two to secure the win. So I want to be one of the best players to ever play the game. Thats how it is in FIBA. Giannis just did it.#MambaMentality pic.twitter.com/kGPhq5O67m, KENNat be Borrow One (@KENNdyMann) June 25, 2019, @Giannis_An34 MVP from nothing to GREATNESS #inspirational Rags to riches, Mr.Marcelin (@marcelin_mr) June 25, 2019, I just cried my eyes out I dont even care, I love you @Giannis_An34 #MVP, Keith Henschel Jr (@TheRealKeithJr) June 25, 2019, Jackson Didlake (@diidlake) June 25, 2019, Congrats Giannis!!! He followed that up with at least 41 points and 12 rebounds in each of the next two games. Only Olajuwon (1993-94) and Jordan (1987-88) won both the MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in the same season. ", I asked @Giannis_An34 how Kobe motivated him with that MVP tweet said It sparked the flame. All I got to take is probably my iPad so I can watch some film and my phone. No part of this website may be reproduced without the express consent of TalkBasket.net, Giannis Antetokounmpo talked about his future at MVP speech, Giannis on his agents: I know theyre gonna put me in the best situation With the team or another team, Shannon Sharpe: LeBron James & Lakers wont make the mistake of underestimating Nuggets. MVP! at Its important. NBA MVP race: Giannis Antetokounmpo won't let you forget about him We can't worry about the outcome," Antetokounmpo said after the Game 5 win. Trying to focus like now being in the moment all the time and we just go and see whats going to happen. Watch how he clobbers Mikal Bridges on this screen, freeing up Middleton to hit a baseline fadeaway over Deandre Ayton. NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo thanks God in MVP acceptance speech. Giannis Anteotkounmopos name. Our families are not allowed to be in the campus for the first few weeks. I hope youre feeling well and speaking of that, Im just wondering how you were doing health wise? Giannis Antetokounmpo: (09:36) The setting was appropriate. Hi Giannis. Hey, hope youre doing well. Lori Nickel: (03:43) He writes about about basketball news, tips, NBA teams and more. My man.M.V.P. Or how have you kind of helped teammates through that whole idea of whether or not we should play or not play? One, Im just curious what now your workouts are able to look like, what are you able to do? I think every team in the NBA lost momentum. Malika Andrews: (08:27) Obviously, my dad is not here with me, but two years ago, I had to go in my head that I'm going to be the best player in the league, that I'm going to do whatever it takes to help my team win and that I'm going to win the MVP. But Ive done this in FIBA before. And also, do you feel like perhaps you guys have lost a little momentum now that its been a few months since youve played together now going back and resuming the season? Hey Giannis hows it going? I want to go out there with my teammates again and win some games and go out there and play for something, chase a goal. But as I said at the end of the day we have a goal, which is to get better and win the championship. Obviously you know my dad is not here with me, Antetokounmpo said through tears. How are you doing? Giannis rags-to-riches story inspired him, as did his determination and perseverance. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. And after making just 55.6% of his free throws in his first 20 games of this postseason, Antetokounmpo went 17 of 19 from the line Tuesday. Middleton as a third piece will be great because they will not need him to create his own shot. Spiros Velliniates, a basketball coach at a local Athens club, discovered Giannis on a playground in Greece and began the search for him. Tim: (12:40) Speaker 3: (01:52) Sometimes you want something so bad you dont get it. My goal is to win a championship and we're going to do whatever we can to make that happen. Giannis Antetokounmpo: (07:42) According to the former New York Knicks All-Star, Milwaukee Bucks star Monta Ellis probably would have struggled in his era. I have to worry about how me and my teammates get better every day individually, as a team and not trying to focus as much in the future and the outcomes. Thanks for the time. How challenging do you think it will be to play a contact sport after months and months of socially distancing and trying to stay away from people? Phoenix, which had trailed by as many as 14 points, had cut the deficit to one and Devin Booker had a chance to take the lead with around 20 seconds remaining. Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. But yeah, I know that in Orlando that everybody thats going to be there is going to be healthy. So whoever is in the best shape and took care of themselves for this three and a half months, four months that we wasnt able to play is going to be in a better position than other teams. Khris Middleton has not been able to create his own shot from mid-range. Do you feel like its made things a little bit harder kind of set you back a little bit? Thank you for everything you do for me., And of course, Antetokounmpo couldnt leave out the person he called my true hero., "I want to thank my amazing mom, my amazing mom. So I'm not going to stop. pic.twitter.com/O0KhiXILBV. The most powerful moments of the speech came when Antetokounmpo discussed his family, starting with his father, who died of a heart attack in Oct. 2017. Ive traveled to China, Ive traveled to France and staid for two, three weeks in a hotel just playing basketball. If he is going to do that, then he will have to play point guard. Despite nearly missing the beginning of the series with a hyperextended left knee, the 26-year-old averaged 35.2 points and 13.2 rebounds per game.