Giannis Antetokounmpo leaped into the NBA history books Tuesday, finishing off a season that shattered multiple records with his electrifying 50-point performance leading the Milwaukee Bucks to their first championship in a half century. The 26-year-old tour de force joins former Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan as the only player ever to win multiple NBA MVP awards, Finals MVP, All-Star Game MVP, and Defensive Player of the Year. 

Despite nearly missing the beginning of the series with a hyperextended left knee, the 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo averaged 35.2 points and 13.2 rebounds per game in the Finals. The Bucks won the NBA championship with a 105-98 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

His feat is all the more impressive for defying the odds. He was the 15th pick in the 2013 NBA draft as a largely unknown Greek-born teenager of impoverished parents of Nigerian descent. When he entered the league, he didn’t know where his next meal was coming from.

Antetokounmpo hopes his long and winding road inspires others. “This should make every person, every kid, anybody around the world believe in their dreams,” he said. “No matter whatever you feel when you’re down, when you don’t think it’s going to happen for you or you might not make it in your career — might be basketball, might be anything — just believe in what you’re doing and keep working.”

Photo from Reuters.