WATCH: Giannis Antetokounmpo Sheds Tears Thanking Teammates After Winning DPOY Award

Giannis Antetokounmpo deservingly won the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) 2020 award. His hard work put Bucks on top with one of the highest winning percentages. The Greek Freak (432 points) attracted 75 votes for rank one, 18 for rank two, and 3 for rank three.

His closest competitor remained Los Angeles Lakers’ Anthony Davis, who had a regular-season average of 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 blocks, and 1.5 steals. Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz) occupied the third place, Ben Simmons (Sixers) the fourth, and Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat) settled for the fifth position.  

Giannis Antetokounmpo and his point-blank defense

The 25-YO has been terrific for the Bucks, with the ability to check and guard opponents at all five positions. His chase-down blocks come with a force that fills his rivals with fear. Giannis has an innate ability to make crazy sprint and turn the easiest of the dunks into defensive rebounds. 

The NBA declared earlier last month that the awards will not take into consideration the post-Bubble performance. It was hence clear that Giannis will take home this recognition. Still, Giannis looked overwhelmed to receive the award, and he said in his address,

“Without my teammates, this wouldn’t be possible. I know that my name is on this trophy, but it could be any of these guys’ name on this trophy. I believe defense is building trust and therefore we trust one another, we care about one another, we believe in one another. That’s why we’re the best defensive team in the NBA. We’ll keep it that way.

“Guys [to his team], thank you, I really appreciate you guys. Brook [Lopez] thank you for holding my back every single time [laughs]. And I thank the Bucks organisation. I said I’m not gonna cry, sorry, guys. The Bucks organisation, the medical staff, the fans, for allowing us to be great and do what we love, do what we dreamed of. That’s all I have for you guys.”

How good has he been for the Milwaukee Bucks?

Only a genuine leader would talk the way he did. He kept his team before himself in every line that he spoke, for he knows the value of his pack. The 6’11” man sobbed as he shared all that.

The Bucks had a 73.2% winning percentage in the regular season last year. They reached the conference finals only to lose 2-4 against the Toronto Raptors. This year, they had an even better winning percentage (76.7%). Moreover, they already lead the round 1 series against the Orlando Magic 3-1. The Bucks in Giannis’ presence allowed only 97.4 points per 100 possessions.

Giannis has portrayed that anchor role in the squad with his astounding average of 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block per game. He has posted unmatchable figures there. If he wins the MVP 2020 award too, he will become the third player after Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon to win both the awards for the same season.

The Bucks would like to wind up the series in the next match. They face Magic in game 5 on August 26th at 4 PM ET in NBA Playoffs 2020.