National Basketball Association
Giannis Antetokounmpo praised by peers after lifting Bucks to title
National Basketball Association

Giannis Antetokounmpo praised by peers after lifting Bucks to title

Updated Jul. 21, 2021 12:59 a.m. ET

Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to have to make some more room in his trophy case.

Already a two-time NBA MVP, Defensive Player of the Year (2019-20) and Most Improved Player (2016-17), Antetokounmpo is going to have to add Finals MVP and championship ring to that ever-growing resume.

To say Antetokounmpo was anything but transcendent would be selling him short based on his performance in his first-ever NBA Finals.

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The "Greek Freak" averaged 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and five assists across six games to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to their first championship in 50 years.

And the dominance put him in the same conversation as some of the NBA's most dominant players.

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He now joins Michael Jordan as the only players in NBA history to have won multiple MVP awards, a Defensive Player of the Year award and Finals MVP.

And he closed the series out in historic fashion, tying Bob Petit's record for most points scored in a Finals closeout game with 50 points.

It is just the seventh 50-point game in NBA Finals history.

As for the Bucks, their path to the mountaintop was three years in the making. They compiled the NBA's best record in each of the two previous seasons but came up short of the NBA Finals each time.

But with Antetokounmpo committing himself to Milwaukee by signing a long-term deal this past offseason, and the Bucks trading for point guard Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee was finally able to get over the hump.

With a breathtaking performance that led to a championship, it comes as no surprise that Antetokounmpo was showered with respect from his peers across the NBA

Here are the top social media reactions to Antetokounmpo and the Bucks' coronation.

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