Former NBA champion predicts Antetokounmpo will win major award

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Former NBA champion predicts Giannis Antetokounmpo will win major award

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 1:05 PM ET

Giannis Antetokounmpo will enter the 2025-26 NBA season with one goal on his mind: winning a championship. The superstar forward has spent this summer being linked with a move away from the Milwaukee Bucks, primarily due to his desire to contend at the highest levels.

However, it would appear the Bucks' decision to waive and stretch Damian Lillard to add Myles Turner has convinced Giannis to give the team some more time. Yet, without Lillard in the rotation, Giannis will likely emerge as Milwaukee's primary ball-handler and shot creator.

During a Wednesday appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, former NBA champion Brian Scalabrine hopped on the Giannis bandwagon early. Scalabrine believes that with Milwaukee's offense entirely built around him, Giannis will be a front-runner for the 2026 MVP Award.

"I think that Giannis will be an MVP candidate," Scalabrine said. "I would put my money on him to win MVP. And I think the Eastern Conference will allow him to get a really good record. That could hurt him as far as the voting is concerned. But he's going to put up monster numbers. He's going to put up Jokic-type numbers. I think he's going to be really efficient. And I think he's going to be really good at running the show."

"Giannis will be an MVP candidate." @Scalabrine tells @TheFrankIsola why he’s all in on @Giannis_An34 taking home MVP next season. pic.twitter.com/91id1VpV5M
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) August 13, 2025

Giannis came third in MVP voting last season and has been in the top five for the last seven seasons, winning the award twice in 2019 and 2020. Now, with the ball in his hands more and the expectations to not only dominate as a scorer but also to create for others, he could once again establish himself as the best player in the world.

Another MVP win for Giannis would also serve two purposes. First, it would drive up interest in his services from around the NBA, strengthening his current stance on wanting the Bucks to create a contending roster.

And second, his value would be so high that Milwaukee may have no other choice than to cash in on its prized asset to begin a full-scale rebuild. Of course, those options only become an issue if the franchise has another early exit from the postseason.

Of course, Giannis would likely rather a push toward a championship than another MVP Award. But, when looking around the NBA, the truth is that a championship is unlikely for Milwaukee this season. An MVP, on the other hand, is well within the realm of possibility.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

More must-reads: