IT’S HOW YOU PLAY THE GAME

Giannis Antetokounmpo Named NBA’s Most Valuable Player

The Milwaukee Bucks fell two games short of the Finals, but they came up big in year-end honors, including Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player on Monday night. And even though his team, the Milwaukee Bucks, fell short of reaching the NBA Finals, its head coach and administrator also came up big at a ceremony held in Santa Monica, California. Mike Budenholzer was named Coach of the Year, and Jon Horst were tapped as Executive of the Year. A tearful Antetokounmpo, a 24-year-old who hails from Greece and averaged 27.7 points and 12.5 rebounds during the season, thanked his father for his support. “MVP is not about stats and numbers,” Antetokounmpo said backstage, commending the men he beat out, Paul George of Oklahoma City and James Harden of Houston, who won last year. “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.”