NBA

And if that wasn’t enough, the story might have gotten even happier for Bucks fans two months later when Antetokounmpo announced that he’s just getting started.

“I don’t care about trophies. I don’t care about the MVP’s. I don’t care about defensive player of the years. All those things, I don’t care, ”Antetokounmpo said. “I care about getting better because I know if I do that, there’s more things coming.”

The Bucks will try to become the first Eastern Conference team to win back-toback titles since Miami in 2012 and 2013.

INTERNATIONAL MATTERS

This season is only the third in NBA history that will begin with the reigning MVP and NBA Finals MVP both hailing from outside the U.S. Antetokounmpo, who is Greek, won the finals award and Denver’s Nikola Jokic, from Serbia, was the overwhelming pick for the regular-season honor.

Nigeria’s Hakeem Olajuwon won both awards in the 1993-94 season, and in 2006-07, San Antonio’s Tony Parker (France) won Finals MVP while Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) won the regular-season MVP award.

BACK TO NORMAL

If all goes to plan, this will be the first season since 2018-19 where all teams play an 82-game schedule.

Teams played somewhere between 64 and 75 games in the 2019-20 season because of the interruption caused by the pandemic, and the schedule called for 72 games apiece last season — shortened by the pandemic.

NEW BALL

The league has a new ball this season, going back to a ball made by Wilson — which provided the game ball for the first 37 NBA seasons. The league had been using Spalding since, before introducing the new ball over the summer.

“There is a difference,” said Miami guard Duncan Robinson, one of the league’s top 3-point shooters. “They tried to say it’s the same material, which it might be . ... But the reality is, the feel is very similar and it’s just a matter of getting totally comfortable with it. At this point, it basically feels normal.

In terms of specifications and the leather, the Wilson and Spalding balls are believed to be as close to identical as possible. The leather comes from the same manufacturer. But there is one subtle change, in that the Wilson ball is a slightly different shade of orange.