Bucks' Antetokounmpo tops LeBron, wins second straight NBA MVP

Milwaukee star forward becomes just third player to be named MVP and Defensive Player of Year in same season.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has won his second straight NBA Most Valuable Player award after leading his team to the best regular-season record for the second straight season, as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

Antetokounmpo was also named Defensive Player of the Year, joining Michael Jordan (1988) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1995) as one of just three players to win both awards in the same season.

Antetokounmpo, 25, was one of three finalists announced by the league for MVP, along with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Houston Rockets guard James Harden.

Antetokounmpo also joined Jordan, James, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Tim Duncan, Steve Nash and Steph Curry as players who have been named MVP in back-to-back seasons.

The 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo averaged 29.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists on the season, shooting 55 percent from the floor.

The Bucks were eliminated from the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs by the Miami Heat. Antetokounmpo is eligible to enter free agency at the end of the 2020-21 season.

Voting for MVP was based on play from October-March, prior to the league's hiatus and eventual return to the Disney campus.