Giannis Antetokounmpo couldn't hold back tears after he was named NBA's most valuable player.
Greek-Based Nigerian NBA star, Giannis Antetokounmpo
Greek-based Nigerian NBA star, Giannis Antetokounmpo who plays for Milwaukee Bucks basketball team in the US was last night named the Most Valuable Player in NBA.
The 24-year-old forward born in Greece to Nigerian migrant parents reduced to tears as he beat Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder and James Harden of the Houston Rockets to win Most Valuable Player honors.
Antetokounmpo received 941 points and 78 first-place votes in the balloting ahead of Harden who finished second with 776 points and 23 first-place votes.
'MVP is not about stats and numbers, and obviously James Harden had unbelievable numbers and Paul George also, but obviously, it's about winning,'
Antetokounmpo said backstage. 'We created great habits throughout the season and were able to stick by them, and that's why we were able to have a chance in every single game we played and were able to win 60 games.'
The NBA star whose family was also in attendance at the award ceremony also praised them for their support.
'We started from nothing as a family,' he said, 'and we are going to be in every stage that we can be as a family.'
'When you hear your name up there on the stage and then you realize these years of hard work, what you did in the past, then you start getting emotional,' he said.