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Giannis Antetokounmpo won his first NBA championship last season after leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 4-2 series win over the Phoenix Suns. Antetokounmpo proved that sticking with a small market team and not creating any superteams can still lead to an NBA title.
In the most recent episode of The Big Shot Bob podcast, Shaquille O'Neal praised Antetokounmpo for winning his first ring last season. Shaq and Robert Horry revealed that they "respect" Giannis winning that championship because he did not need a superteam.
Shaq also went on to make a nice challenge for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“If he’s able to do it again, I’m his biggest fan," Shaq said.
Giannis Antetokounmpo's legacy is already secured at such a young age. He's a two-time NBA MVP, an NBA champion, a five-time NBA All-Star and one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history. However, Giannis can cement his status as possibly a top 25 or even a top 10 player of all time if he can add more rings to his resume.
Players at the top echelons of NBA royalty usually have multiple rings on their fingers. Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar each had six, LeBron James currently has four, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan won five, Larry Bird had three and Bill Russell had 11.
Giannis Antetokounmpo climbs atop the NBA MVP Rankings
Giannis Antetokounmpo is now first in the NBA's Kia MVP Ladder this week. The two-time MVP has had a great season so far, leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 24-13 record. Giannis is also averaging 27.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.
In addition to Steph Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets, Giannis is one of the favorites to win the NBA MVP this season. With COVID outbreaks and injuries ravaging the league, this season's race for MVP is one of the most interesting in history.
The Bucks are currently on a five-game winning streak and are closer to full strength. The experience they gained last season has them looking nearly unstoppable this season. The only reason they are not atop the standings is they had a lot of injuries at the start of the season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had to carry them with four of their five starters out of the lineup. The Bucks also had a COVID-19 outbreak two weeks ago, with Giannis among those that had to isolate for at least 10 days.
Now fully recovered, Antetokounmpo has set his sights on leading the Bucks to their defense of the NBA title.
