Giannis Antetokounmpo added another award to his collection, as the Professional Basketball Writers Association voted him to win the Magic Johnson Award winner for the 2022-23 season.
The award “honors the player who best combines excellence on the basketball court with cooperation and dignity in dealing with the media and the public.”
In fact, the move that confirmed his relationship with the public occurred at the press conference after the Bucks' victory over the Miami Heat in the regular season of this year's NBA championship, when Giannis appeared and talked about the success with two children from the Make-A-Wish.
On top of his post-match media commitments, the 28-year-old often takes extra time to speak to reporters covering the team's day-to-day coverage while devoting extra time to columnists.
The Magic Johnson Award was established in the 2000-01 season and Milwaukee's Ray Allen was its inaugural winner, while this year's was Giannis Antetokounmpo's first.
Throughout his ten-year career, Antetokounmpo has been a favorite in the media for his extroverted personality and humble disposition.
In the press conference following Milwaukee’s season-ending loss to the Miami Heat, the 28-year-old made headlines for an impassioned response dismissing the idea of failure in sports.
“There is no failure in sports,” Giannis said. “There are good days, bad days, some days you are able to be successful, some days you’re not. Some days it’s your turn, some days it’s not your turn and that’s what sport’s about. You don’t always win, some other’s going to win. This year, someone else is going to win. It’s as simple as that.”
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The Magic Johnson Award was founded in the 2000-01 season and Milwaukee’s Ray Allen was its inaugural winner. It is Antetokounmpo’s first PBWA award.
Portland’s Damian Lillard won the award last year and the Bucks’ Khris Middleton was a finalist.
The PBWA consists of more than 200 writers and editors who cover the NBA regularly for a variety of outlets and the association’s members “continue to regard Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers as the ideal paradigm for the award.”
The Greek Freak and his family are currently in Athens, Greece. His partner Mariah Riddlesprigger has recently announced the couple is expecting a third child.
The couple already have two children — 3-year-old Liam and 1-year-old Maverick Shai. The boys are often seen in the halls and on the floor of Fiserv Forum while the Bucks superstar gets up some shots or works the crowd.
Antetokounmpo has bought a massive new home for the whole family, including his mother and brothers, in the leafy suburb of Psychiko in Athens. The apartment building is believed to have been sold for an estimated 10 million euros ($11 million).
This is not the first Antetokounmpo property in Greece. Last year it emerged that Giannis invested together with his brother, Thanasis on two Costa Navarino Residences, an exclusive resort on the southwest side of Peloponnese.
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