While nobody in their right mind would assert that Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo is not one of the league’s better defenders, it also appears that few would say he is one of the best in the NBA currently. With the 2025 NBA Award Season now all wrapped up, one Fox Sports analyst who gave his Defensive Player of the Year award vote to Antetokounmpo is now being heralded as having the single most contrarian decision of any award vote ballot this season.
Milwaukee Bucks Houston Rockets
Apr 29, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during game five of the first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Only One NBA Awards Voter Picked Giannis Antetokounmpo as the Defensive Player of the Year
Every year, the NBA Awards create a stir online of fans and players alike who feel the 100 media “experts” voting on the awards once again missed the mark. The voters, which the league hand-picks every year, tend to largely agree on many decisions, but not without some voters making more unique decisions. Some of their calls spark drama online and can damage their credibility with fans.
NBA analyst Owen Phillips inspected each voter’s decisions and discovered what the most unconventional decisions were. By weighing how certain voters did not agree with the majority, the most “contrarian” opinions were revealed. The dubious honor of the most contrarian vote this season was earned by FS1 analyst Ric Bucher. Their selection of Giannis Antetokounmpo as the Defensive Player of the Year was a massive outlier compared to the other 99 ballots.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers
Apr 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) shoots the ball while Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) defends during game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Bucher’s decision of putting Antetokounmpo as the winner of the award was not one that any other voters even remotely agreed with. Voters are allowed to vote for a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place – Bucher’s inclusion of Antetokounmpo was the only inclusion by any of the 100 voters for any of the three positions.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Defensive Ability Gets Next to No Love From Award Voters
While nobody outside of Bucher felt Antetokounmpo deserved DPOY consideration, a few voters included Antetokounmpo on their All-Defensive Team ballots. Giannis received one First-Team vote and ten Second-Team votes.
A global media panel of 100 voters selected the 2024-25 Kia NBA All-Defensive Team.
Voters selected five players for the First Team and five players for the Second Team at any position.
Complete voting results ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LlfUOe8Ei4
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) May 22, 2025
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tyrese Haliburton
Apr 22, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) shoots the ball while Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) defends during game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
Phillips made the analysis not for the purpose of calling out Bucher for voting Antetokounmpo as DPOY, but simply to find out how similar the NBA awards voters think. In fact, Phillips feels that the “free thinkers” voting on the awards are quite valuable.
“It’s worth emphasizing that being contrarian is not a bad thing. In fact, a healthy amount of contrarianism that comes from having an original opinion is probably good for the league and award voting at large.”
Antetokounmpo has won DPOY in the past, and has been included in five All-Defensive teams in his career. Between 2019-2022, he was First-Team All-Defense each of the four years.
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