Harare — Giannis Antetokounmpo, often considered the best player in the NBA, may be known as "The Greek Freak", but his parents are Nigerian. Born in Greece, Antetokounmpo is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards and one of the greatest European players of all time.
His parents, Charles and Veronica Antetokounmpo, emigrated to Greece from Nigeria. But as the children of Nigerian immigrants, Giannis and three of his four brothers were never officially recognised as Greek citizens, meaning they were stateless. Giannis' mother Veronica was a babysitter while his father, Charles, worked as a handyman. The family had to deal with xenophobia and the threat of deportation in addition to their financial struggles. Antetokounmpo occasionally made extra money by selling goods on Athens' streets, such watches and sunglasses.
At the age of 13, a local coach noticed Giannis and his brothers, three of whom (Thanasis, Kostas, and Alex) would later become professional basketball players.
He was chosen by the Bucks with the 15th overall choice in the 2013 NBA Draft. Around this time, he also obtained Greek citizenship, which allowed him to go to the U.S.
Antetokounmpo has quite the support system. Along with basketball fans who call the NBA great the Greek Freak, Antetokounmpo also counts his two boys and long-term partner Mariah Riddlesprigger among his strongest supporters.
The 28-year-old began playing basketball for the youth teams of Filathlitikos in Athens where he was raised. The Eastern Conference voting leader in 2019, 2020, and 2023, Antetokounmpo was selected to seven All-Star games, including selection as an All-Star captain in each of those years.
Already considered one of the most decorated players in NBA history, he earned back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player Awards in 2019 and 2020, joining LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players to accomplish this feat before turning 26. He was the third player, behind Michael Jordan (1988) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1994), to win both titles in the same season, along with his MVP honors, when he was voted the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2020.
Antetokounmpo won the Finals MVP award in 2021 after leading the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA title since 1971. He was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in the same year, which recognised him as one of the league's all-time greatest players.
The Bucks were the betting favourites to win the NBA title in 2023, but they lost to the Miami Heat in what may have been a great upset in playoff history. Since the 1968–1969 Baltimore Bullets, the Bucks are the only team to have the greatest regular season record and only win one or no games postseason.
