Giannis Antetokounmpo had a career year that featured him leading his team to 60 wins in the regular season, the one seed in the Eastern Conference, an Eastern Conference Finals appearance, one of the top vote-getters for the NBA All-Star Game and finally wrapped it up with an MVP award. While he had to wait until late June, it was worth the wait. Giannis did not only win MVP, but he also smashed his way to the trophy taking 78 first-place votes to James Harden’s 23. Giannis is the new king of the National Basketball Association. If you missed his acceptance speech, it is one that should be remembered for years to come. There has not been a more humble and gracious superstar in our lifetime. This is one of the many great moments from the speech.

Giannis got emotional as he paid tribute to his family while accepting the #KiaMVP trophy. 🙏#NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/T8p5XH73cZ

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) June 25, 2019

Giannis is a modern-day superhero. Kids and parents alike love Giannis in the city of Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin more than most athletes. I remember I started telling people two years ago to make a point to watch the Bucks in person to see Giannis live. That was before the Fiserv Forum, before the sellout crowds because you would be amazed at the talent and the fascination of ‘What could he do tonight?!’ That always comes with Giannis. He is the best bang-for-your-buck superstar in the league. I feel lucky to have watched him throughout the years and hope that this is only the beginning. As I get older, I hope that 15 years from now, I can tell my kid about Giannis and how he took Milwaukee by storm for his entire career.

Never ever take this moment in time for granted, Bucks fans. I know you will not, but I want to remind you of it. This is special shit that most franchises do not get in their lifetime. We will always have this season. No matter if you’re a longtime suffering Milwaukee Bucks fan or someone who jumped on the bandwagon in the last few years, this season will be one to be remembered in years to come. Yes, they did not reach their ultimate goal, but they did have an MVP on their roster who led them to win 60 games and make this city truly give a shit about professional basketball.

Giannis deserves all the credit in the world for getting to this part of his pinnacle to be one of the best of all-time. But Jon Horst deserves props for building a great team around the Greek Freak. Same goes for Mike Budenholzer who unlocked another part of Giannis’ game this season. Lastly, the City of Milwaukee should pat themselves on the back. They embraced this young, naive Greek kid six years ago and made him part of this city’s fabric. No matter what happens the rest of the way, it speaks to the friendliness of the Cream City and how we take care of our own. Giannis is one of us.

Go Bucks.

Charlie.