The Milwaukee Bucks’ star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has already secured two MVP trophies, and his outstanding performance this season positions him as a strong contender for a third. Despite Giannis’s remarkable achievements, there remains skepticism about his candidacy for the MVP title. Bucks head coach Doc Rivers deems this lack of recognition disrespectful.
According to Rivers, the key factor contributing to the insufficient buzz around Giannis’s MVP candidacy is his likeness to basketball legend Michael Jordan. Rivers doesn’t suggest that Giannis is trying to emulate Jordan’s eminence, but rather, he argues that, like Jordan, Giannis might be experiencing a certain level of desensitization from pundits due to his consistent greatness.
Rivers expressed his perspective, stating, “I don’t even want to get into it, but there’s been guys that you get tired of voting for. Michael (Jordan) may be the poster child of that. And Giannis seems to be in that category; where you’re so good, everything you do is taken for granted. When you just look at his numbers, they’re incredible, and yet, you never hear his name. It’s unbelievable, but that’s a sign of respect more than disrespect in some ways.”
While Giannis is currently considered a “sleeper” in the race for the MVP title in the 2023-24 season, with Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being the consensus favorites, both Giannis and Rivers seem determined to alter this narrative in the near future.
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