Nigerian-American basketball player, Giannis Antetokounmpo gave an emotional tribute to his family after being named the MVP of the 2018-19 NBA season during the league’s award show on Monday night.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 24-year-old center broke down in tears as he gave his speech and explained how he plays every day for his late father.
Antetokounmpo was born to Nigerian parents in Greece. His father is Charles, was a former Nigerian association football player, while his mother, Veronica, is a former high jumper.
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He said, “I want to thank my dad. 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. Every day that I step on the floor I always think about my dad and that motivates me.
“It pushed me to play hard and move forward even when my body’s sore, even when I don’t feel like playing, I always go and show up and I’m always going to do the right thing,” Antetokounmpo said.
Antetokounmpo also thanked his brothers, calling them “role models.” His brothers had to fight tears as well, especially when Antetokounmpo started talking about their mother.
“She’s my hero, when you’re a little kid, you don’t see the future. If you have a good parent, your parent sees the future for you.
“She always saw the future in us, she always believed in us, she was always there for us. She’s the foundation of this family. You’re my true hero,” he said.
The speech ended with Antetokounmpo addressing the one thing he did not accomplish this season.
“This is just the beginning. My goal is to win a championship, as my dad taught me. Always want more and never be greedy. My goal is to win a championship and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
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Antetokounmpo was taken with the 15th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, edged out James Harden and Paul George to win the first MVP award of his brief career.
Popularly known as ‘The Greek Freak’, he won the award after a dominant season in which he led the Milwaukee Bucks to the best regular season record in the NBA while averaging 27.7 points, 12.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.
This makes Antetokounmpo the youngest winner to win the MVP since Derrick Rose in 2011.
Antetokounmpo also finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, showing how much of a force he was in all phases of the game. (NAN)