With his recent MVP win for the 2019-20 season, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo joined NBA legends Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan as the only players in league history to win the awards for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season.
“Just being in that conversation and in the same sentence as them, it means a lot to me,” Antetokounmpo said after the announcement.
At the moment, though, there is one obvious outlier among that trio. Jordan and Olajuwon combined for eight NBA titles in the 1990s, whereas the “Greek Freak” is still looking for his first after another early exit from the playoffs. When Olajuwon won MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the 1993-94 season, he capped it with the first championship of his career and in the entire history of the Houston Rockets.
So when Antetokounmpo posted an edited video to his Twitter account on Wednesday of his own highlights mixed with Jordan and Olajuwon, many users felt compelled to note the clear difference.
…is straight up SLANDER of @DR34M. In the most politically-charged of election years, this is by far the most offensive thing I have seen on this Godforsaken free app in 2020. https://t.co/U2EgqGPUSE
— Adam Clanton (@adamclanton) September 23, 2020
Bro, delete this video as quickly as humanly possible. This is disgraceful. https://t.co/VDMF2hx0FW
— Houston’s Very Own (@YoItsKenneth) September 23, 2020
It was a remarkable 2019-20 season for Antetokounmpo, who averaged 29.5 points (55.3% FG), 13.6 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game.
But until the 6-foot-11 forward wins a title, there’s an obvious gap between the Milwaukee star and the sport’s all-time greats.
"Just being in the same sentence as them, it means a lot to me."
Giannis on joining Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the only players to win MVP and DPOY in the same season: pic.twitter.com/kk0dtSoMDX
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) September 18, 2020
