On Tuesday night (July 20), the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals to capture the franchise’s first championship in 50 years.
The Bucks, who clinched the series via a 105–98 victory over the Suns, hoisted the trophy on their own homecourt in front of a sold-out crowd inside Fiserv Forum and with more than 70,000 fans cheering them on from outside of the arena.
The Bucks’ star forward, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was named NBA Finals MVP, put up one of the best close-out performances in NBA Finals history, tallying 50 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocked shots in Game 6. The championship and Finals MVP trophy, both the first in his career, have now catapulted the athlete affectionately dubbed “The Greek Freak” into rare territory occupied by some of the greatest players the game has ever seen.
At only 26 years old, Antetokounmpo—who is a two-time MVP winner, a Defensive Player of the Year, and five-time All-Star—has already collected more hardware and individual accolades than any player in NBA history at the same age, including Michael Jordan and LeBron James, who many consider as the greatest overall talents to ever step foot onto an NBA court. And given the fact that Antetokounmpo was not considered a sure-fire superstar like Jordan or James upon his entrance in the league, as well as his decision to sign a five-year supermax deal worth $245 million to pursue winning a championship in Milwaukee as opposed to joining a super team in a bigger market, makes his historic win even more significant.
With no significant injury history, a hunger to improve, and a competitive nature that won’t allow him to rest on his laurels, the sky is the limit for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, who appear to be poised for perennial championship contention for the foreseeable future.