As Giannis Antetokounmpo turns 30, the Bucks star admits he wants to be MVP again

DETROIT – The Milwaukee Bucks have risen from the dead, and the man who rolled away the rock has put them on their backs, like he was supposed to.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing like an MVP, an award he won twice in his mid-20s. He and Damian Lillard form a chemistry that looks impressive. Khris Middleton is expected to make his season debut on Friday after undergoing double ankle surgery this offseason.

And Antetokounmpo, who turns 30 today, admits he wants a third Most Valuable Player award.

“Yeah, that could definitely bring tears to my eyes,” Antetokounmpo told Yahoo Sports earlier this week. “I want to be part of this conversation. It shows me that I was able to help my team, carry my team and strengthen myself (us as a team).

“I’m not going to lie, it definitely means something to me.”

In recent years, Antetokounmpo claimed that winning the award didn’t mean much to him, but his tune has changed. Maybe he’ll turn 30 and know he’s reached a peak. Maybe it’s because Nikola Jokić was able to get his third win last year and he looks very much like someone who can get his fourth win this year.

A third win would move Antetokounmpo past Stephen Curry, Tim Duncan and Steve Nash and into the same stratosphere as Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Moses Malone and the aforementioned Jokić. Additionally, Nash was the last MVP to win the award at age 30 and older, during his age-30 and -31 seasons with the Phoenix Suns in 2005 and 2006.

With the exception of Derrick Rose on the young side (22 years old in 2011) and Michael Jordan on the older side (35 in 1998), most MVPs are won by players between the ages of 25 and 28. Antetokounmpo won both of his at 24 and 25.

“At that point in my career I had that conversation with my brother and I thought, man, this seems crazy. I had just realized that I might never win an MVP again,” Antetokounmpo told Yahoo Sports. “I have better years than the years I won it. But hey, the league is improving, the guys are playing very, very well.”

But Antetokounmpo’s consistency can sometimes be overlooked despite finishing in the top four in MVP voting the last six years, and he’s upping his game again this season.

It’s not just that he leads the league in scoring at nearly 33 points per night and a career-high 62 percent shooting from the field. His assists are at a career high (6.6), he’s still recovering at a high level (11.6), and Doc Rivers is finding ways to use him as a defensive threat again.

But it’s also the case that Antetokounmpo is a more efficient player this year, preferring the mid-range jump shot rather than running into the defense that has a wall waiting for him. On the one hand, it protects his body from the unforgiving hardwood that he often stumbles over. On the other hand, taking shots from 14 to 17 feet makes it nearly impossible for him to defend – and he doesn’t feel compelled to hit threes, which keeps defenses off balance. His 3-point percentage is the lowest since his sophomore year.

“I feel better at basketball and I can read games better now,” Antetokounmpo told Yahoo Sports. “Sometimes I know my spots much better. I’m not in a hurry. I am more balanced. Yes, I don’t know if I’m playing better, but we’ll see by the end of the year.”

It’s a scary thought for him to embrace this part of his game, and even scarier for him to notice his already diverse skill set becoming more mature. Already holding the spot for the greatest player development story in NBA history, Antetokounmpo is now knocking down midrange players at a high rate.

Against Detroit, in the game that sent the Bucks to the knockout round of the NBA Cup, Antetokounmpo missed nothing on his first nine attempts and managed just one dunk.

“I literally change my game and it triggers such a big dopamine rush in my head because I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” Antetokounmpo told reporters. “Now there will be games that I will make (none). I didn’t do anything last game. But I made this game. Hopefully I can do more in the next game.”

The next game is against the Boston Celtics, a real test of whether the Bucks have managed to climb back into the Eastern Conference group after a 2-8 start. A win could be another step toward the feared bracket in the conference, with Boston, Cleveland, Orlando and New York as the frontrunners.

But only Boston has real playoff success. The Bucks have won just one playoff series since winning a championship in 2021 — in large part because Antetokounmpo’s health was an issue.

He missed last year’s first-round series against the Indiana Pacers (calf strain) and played just three games in the shocking first-round loss to the Miami Heat in 2023 after injuring his back.

“I’m not going to lie,” Antetokounmpo told Yahoo Sports. “There are two things. I want to play in the playoffs. …You know, I didn’t have that feeling. This feeling was taken away from me last year.

“And secondly, if I had the chance to win MVP, it would definitely bring a few tears to my eyes. I don’t say it as clickbait.”

He remembers Jordan saying his first title wasn’t the hardest, but the last title in 1998 was the hardest.

“I dominate here,” Antetokounmpo said, pointing to a spot in the locker room as if it were an imaginary floor. “I can’t remember the last time I dived on someone. So I try to pick my spots and then mentally dominate the game. And if I manage to (win again) that would definitely bring a few tears to my eyes. My children will also be able to see me win.”

And above all, he wants them to see him play in May and June too.