Giannis Antetokounmpo pours in 50 points to lead his Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA title in a half century

Faced with the biggest test of his young career, Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo gave a herculean performance on Tuesday night in Milwaukee, leading his Bucks to their first title in a half-century with 50 points in a 105-98 Game 6 win over the Phoenix Suns.

The 26-year-old overcame a knee injury he suffered in the Eastern Conference Finals and his own poor free throw shooting in the playoffs to grab 14 key rebounds and block five shots while sinking 17 of 19 from the line on Tuesday.

Prior to Game 6, the Athens native known as the 'Greek Freak' had made just 55.8 percent of his foul shots in the postseason while being teased relentlessly by opposing crowds.

Tuesday, in his adopted home town of Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo didn't listen to ridicule, but rather chants of 'MVP' from the capacity crowd at Fiserv Forum and the estimated 65,000 fans surrounding the arena.

Naturally, voting media members agreed, and awarded Antetokounmpo the NBA Finals MVP award.

'People told me I can't make free throws and I made them tonight,' Antetokounmpo said after winning his first NBA title. 'And I'm a freaking champion.'

'It's hard to find more words to describe what Giannis does,' Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said after Tuesday's win. 'But the way he made his free throws, the way he did everything, stepped up, the poise, the confidence, the leadership - he has been working on it.

'To win a championship, you've got to make free throws and you've got to make shots,' he continued. 'He's made shots throughout the playoffs. He's made free throws throughout the playoffs. [Five] blocked shots, however many points. He's off the charts. He's the MVP of the NBA Finals.'

Antetokounmpo surprised the basketball-loving public back in December by singing a five-year, $220 million extension with the club amid rampant speculation he would try to force his way to a bigger market to match his burgeoning star power.

But for Antetokounmpo, one of five sons born to Nigerian immigrants, winning with the team that drafted him as a skinny teenager in 2013 was too important.

'I wanted to do it here in the city and I wanted to do it here with these guys,' Antetokounmpo said.

Without mentioning LeBron James or Kevin Durant by name, Antetokounmpo made it clear at his post-game press conference that he never had any interest in teaming up with established All-Stars to win a title.

'That's my stubborn side,' he explained. 'It's easy to go somewhere and win a championship with somebody else. It's easy. I could go... to a super team, and just do my part and win a championship, but this is the hard way to do it.'

Exactly three weeks after suffering a knee injury that appeared to put his future in doubt, Antetokounmpo carried the Bucks to their first championship in 50 years. Just as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led Milwaukee to its first championship in 1971, the 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo made sure a big man also carried the Bucks to their next title.

Antetokounmpo was an easy choice for the MVP honor after posting at least 40 points and 10 rebounds in three of the six games in this series.

He did all that while dealing with a hyperextended left knee that prevented him from playing in the last two games of the Eastern Conference finals against the Atlanta Hawks. Antetokounmpo initially feared the injury was more serious and would keep him out of action for an entire year. He instead was back on the floor a week later for the start of the NBA Finals.

He collected 20 points and 17 rebounds in a Game 1 loss. He followed that up by producing at least 41 points and 12 rebounds in each of the next two games.

But his biggest impact may have been on the defensive side.

'I think he embraces us being great defensively,' Budenholzer said. 'Giannis does, the whole team. When we get stops and get out and run and get Giannis in space, get our team in space, I think he's special. He was able to put his stamp on the game in the third quarter and flip the score. And then some big plays in the fourth quarter -- big plays, big blocks. It's hard to keep finding words for Giannis.'