The Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is a beloved player both by the modern NBA fans and old school fanatics. His style of play is very diverse but rather similar to the way the ball was handled in the 90s than in the three-point era. He is known for spectacular actions near the hoop, high jumps, and hard falls. He is tenacious and almost lethal when it comes to close contact plays.
He also has a killer mentality on the court and outside the court, doing everything that it takes to win. He didn’t want to sing “kumbaya” with LeBron James as he refused to work out with him during the summer, he didn’t want to be a part of the forming super team and achieved individual greatness. He elevated the mediocre Milwaukee Bucks to win their second championship ever since 1971! He showed true strength of his character, a character which was built by years of hard work.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Early Life
Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo was born on the 6th of December, 1994 in a small neighborhood bordering Athens, Sepolia. His family wasn’t well-off, his parents were illegal immigrants from Nigeria, who traveled to Greece in hopes of getting a better life. Unfortunately, due to their immigration status, they couldn’t find a job and from a young age, Giannis and his brothers had to learn how to support their family. He and one of his brothers had to sell sunglasses, watches, and bags on the street to make additional money.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Man Without a Home
Greek Nationality Law follows the rule that a person’s nationality or ethnicity is based on their parents’ mother country, not the country of birth. For all of his childhood Giannis hadn’t had any nationality, he was stateless until 2013. As lonely as it might sound, he found his calling despite all of the obstacles on the way. Antetokounmpo started playing basketball in 2007.
In 2011 he started his short journey with Filathlitikos senior men’s team in the semi-pro Greek B Basket League. It was enough for the recruiters to notice his talent, because after one season, just as he turned 18, professional basketball clubs started to fight over him. Giannis Antetokounmpo signed a four-year contract with Spanish club CAI Zaragoza with a possibility to be bought out by the NBA. In 2013 he made himself eligible for the NBA Draft.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – NBA Draft
Giannis Antetokounmpo was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, as the 15th overall first-round pick. This was the time that he finally won the fight over his nationality, Greek citizenship. He was baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church and he spent all of his life in Greece which resulted in the international debate about immigration laws and their exclusivity. In 2015, he also acquired a Nigerian Passport and he has both Greek and Nigerian citizenship.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks
After being drafted by the Buck, Giannis’ life dramatically changed. He debuted on October 13th, 2013, making him one of the youngest players to ever participate in an NBA game.
The moment Giannis Antetokounmpo joined the Milwaukee Bucks was the moment the team started to grow. Every season he played, the team became better and stronger. The forgotten franchise started to establish itself as an opponent to beat. He was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week in February of 2015.
He became the youngest Buck to record a triple-double! In the 2015-2016 seasons Giannis scored 33 points career-high in a game against Cleveland Cavaliers (with LeBron James on the Cavs team) and the Bucks brutally stopped the Golden State Warriors start-of-the season winning streak, despite the Warriors being in their best squad (Thompson, Curry). Young Giannis was going against NBA giants and he did it with his head high.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Making NBA History
The Milwaukee Bucks couldn’t afford to lose their best player. Gladly, he didn’t want to go anywhere anyway. Giannis made it his mission to bring the Bucks the championship banner. In 2016, he signed a four-year contract extension which granted him 100 million dollars. It certainly paid off for the Bucks, as he scored a career-high 39 this season and shot his first buzzer-beater.
In 2017 Giannis was unsurprisingly named to the NBA All-Star-Team. This season he became the first player in NBA history to be in the top 20 in every major statistical category: points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. He was also awarded the Most Improved Player Award, being the first Bucks player to ever win this trophy.
The 2017-18 season was another step in Greek Freak’s path to greatness. He scored 175 in only five first games of the season and broke Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s record for triple-doubles made by a Milwaukee player in franchise history.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Most Valuable Player
The 2018-19 season started very promisingly for the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo. He was a leading force in the Bucks success, getting to the Eastern Conference finals. The Bucks ultimately lost to the Toronto Raptors, but Giannis was named Most Valuable Player of the Year for the first time.
The 2019-2020 season also was full of victories for the Bucks. The team was like a family in the metaphorical and literal sense. They signed Giannis’ brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo as their power forward.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Covid Outbreak
Giannis started the season with a triple-double (30 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists). He was named All-Star team captain for the second year in a row, against LeBron James.
The season was cut short because of the Covid-19 outbreak and the whole NBA went on a hiatus. During this time, Giannis Antetokounmpo made remarks to the press that he can’t practice because he doesn’t have a hoop nearby. It turned out to be a 4D Chess move, to confuse the competition.
After the season resumed, the team was in a very good spot. Unfortunately, Giannis twisted his ankle and missed two games due to his injury. The Bucks lost to the Miami Heat.
And once again, it was clear that the Bucks needed Giannis and he was named Most Valuable Player. He also got NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors as the only third player who got this award simultaneously (in the same season), along with Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Road to Victory
On December 15, 2020, Antetokounmpo re-signed with the Bucks for a record-breaking $228 million extension, which would make him the highest-paid player in league history. He became the first non-American player to win an All-Star MVP Award as he scored 35 points with perfect accuracy during the All-Star game.
Years of working with Bucks started to pay off more and more. It was not only about the individual winnings, the whole team has grown stronger and better. They snatched Miami Heat in the first round of playoffs, having their revenge on the team who eliminated them previously. Sadly, Giannis was injured again and was off for five games.
The Bucks struggled without their leader, losing the game in which he obtained the knee injury. As Antetokounmpo missed the games the future of the team was questionable. But they bounced back and managed to go to the finals.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – The Greek Freak is Back
Giannis Antetokounmpo returned in time for the final game against the Phoenix Suns. In his first Finals appearance, he scored 20 points and 17 rebounds in a 118-108 loss which wasn’t the best scoring for him. He managed to score 40 points and 20 rebounds in a Game 2 loss and the same numbers in a Game 3 win (which was earlier done only by Shaq!). The Bucks were on a comeback, Giannis scored 50 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks in a final game and snatched the championships for the Milwaukee Bucks. He won the NBA Finals MVP award by a unanimous vote and proudly accepted his first championship ring.
Liam Charles
The NBA not only changed the professional life of Giannis Antetokounmpo but also his private life. When he moved to the United States he met his girlfriend, Mariah Riddlesprigger. She is a former college volleyball player and had connections to the NBA, as she worked as an intern for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s girlfriend gave birth to their son in 2020. 2020 was a terrible year for most people, but for Giannis, it was definitely beautiful. The baby boy was named Liam Charles and there is already discourse if the Baby Freak will become a basketball player.
In May 2021 Mariah and Giannis announced that she is pregnant and they are expecting a second child.
Conclusion
Starting as a poor kid with four brothers, unaccepted by any country and struggling with racial injustices, Giannis Antetokounmpo went on to become one of the greatest players in NBA history. He is already put in the same line as LeBron James and Michael Jordan. Giannis’ story is a reminder that even in the darkest place there is a light, and hard work and dedication can turn around anyone’s life.
Does Giannis Antetokounmpo have a ring?
Giannis only has one ring to his name as of now, but it’s more than enough for him. The Bucks aren’t a dynasty yet, but taking home a title was still a great accomplishment that showed Giannis is the real deal.
