Giannis Says He's Eyeing 3rd NBA MVP Award with Bucks: 'Might Put Tears in My Eyes'

In the midst of arguably the best start to a season in his already stellar career, Giannis Antetokounmpo has his sights set on winning a third MVP award.

Speaking to Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar admitted winning another MVP "definitely might put tears in my eyes" if it were to happen.

"I do want to be part of that conversation," he added. "It lets me know I was able to help my team, carry my team, solidified [us as a team]. I'm not gonna lie, it definitely means something to me."

As recently as two weeks ago, the idea of Antetokounmpo being a strong factor in the MVP race seemed far-fetched through no fault of his own. He has been playing at an elite level all season, but the Bucks lost eight of their first 10 games and were 4-9 after a Nov. 16 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

Following that loss, though, the Bucks went on a seven-game winning streak that moved them over .500. Their streak came to an end on Wednesday with a 119-104 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, but they are still fifth in the Eastern Conference standings.

Antetokounmpo is currently leading the NBA in scoring average with a career-high 32.6 points per game on 61.6 percent shooting. He ranks sixth in rebounds (11.6) and 15th in assists (6.6).

The biggest feather Antetokounmpo hat is his dominance in the paint and transition.

Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Karl-Anthony Towns are the only other players in the NBA averaging at least 25 points per game and shooting at least 50 percent from the field.

The biggest challenger to Antetokounmpo in the MVP race at this point is Jokić. Already a three-time MVP winner, Jokić has somehow taken his game to another level. He is averaging a triple-double with 29.9 points, 13.4 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game.

If the race remains close between those two over the course of the entire season, the deciding factor could end up being team standings. They have virtually the same record, with the Nuggets at 11-9 entering Friday.

Thanks to the overall mediocrity of the Eastern Conference, the Bucks are a playoff team as things stand right now. The Nuggets are percentage points ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers (12-10) for the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

Another MVP award would put Antetokounmpo in rarified air. Only nine players in NBA history have won MVP at least three times.