Giannis Antetokounmpo hats off; he and his brothers, also in the NBA, are the absolute best amongst their peers. Here’s a look at the famed ‘Greek Freak’.
Early life (1994-2011)
Giannis (born as Adetokunbo) was born on December 6th, 1994. He is the second child of Nigerian immigrant parents. His dad was a Yoruba man, and his mom was Igbo. The Adetokunmpos brothers did not have much going for them financially. So, Giannis Antetokounmpo and his older brother, Thanasis, hawked on the streets of Sepolia, Athens, to support the family. The other brothers are Alex, Kostas, and Alex. They say there’s beauty in the struggle, and it was on these Athenian streets that Giannis developed grit. Upon getting his Greek citizenship, his Nigerian last name, ‘Adetokunbo’, was translated to ‘Antetokoumpo’. By the age of fifteen, Giannis started playing basketball.
Professional career (2011-present)
Giannis showed great promise while playing pickup games at local courts. This caught the interest of Filathlitikos — a third division Greek team. In the 2012-2013 season, he averaged 46.4 in field goals. 31.3% from the three-point line, with 9.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. These numbers were not elite, but he showed great promise in improving his game all-round. Giannis was eligible for the 2013 NBA draft class and was selected 15th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.
At 18, Giannis made his NBA debut on October 13th, 2013. He was one of the youngest NBA players ever. His stats were good; averaged 6.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game. This was in 77 appearances during his rookie season. While, these were not elite stats, he was a relentless worker. Giannis continued to improve his game, and his output consistently climbed through the years. In February 2016, Giannis recorded his first career triple-double. This was against The Los Angeles Lakers with 27 points, 12 rebounds and ten assists.
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At 21, he was the youngest Buck to record a triple-double. His big break came in 2016 after signing a $100m four-year contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Milwaukee Bucks started winning more games in the years as Giannis improved his game. His improvement was rapid, earning him a MIP award (Most Improved Player). He also became the youngest player in franchise history to be featured in an All-Star game. In the 2016-2017 season, he led the Bucks in all five major statistical categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks). While Giannis was on a tear, he still wasn’t an elite player.
Mike Budenholzer joined the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018. He transformed the team’s play to centre around their budding star, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Milwaukee Bucks entered the new year in 2019 with a 25-10 win-loss record . They then finished the season with 60-22 as the best team in the NBA. The Bucks lost 4-2 to the Toronto Raptors in a gruelling six-game series in the postseason. Despite the loss, he was named the Most Valuable Player, the most coveted individual award in basketball. Since then, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s stats have been better each season.
In the 2019-2020 season, Giannis proved to be even better than the media thought. He led his team to a 56-17 record, the best in the NBA at the time. Snagging a consecutive MVP award and a Defensive Player of the Year Award, he was only the third player in NBA history to win both MVP and DPOY in the same season. Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon both did it in 1988 and 1994.
Giannis finished the season with the best Player Efficiency Rating (PER) in NBA history at 31.9. Better than Wilt Chamberlain’s record of 31.8 decades earlier. However, after injuring his ankle, his phenomenal run came to a stop when the Miami Heat eliminated the Milwaukee Bucks. The media criticised him for showing up in regular season games and not in playoffs where it mattered most.
In 2020, Giannis signed with the Milwaukee Bucks for a five year deal of $228m. This was the largest contract in league history. The Bucks had faith in this Nigerian kid, and it was about to pay off. Giannis became the first non-American player to win an All-Star MVP, going 16 shots in 16 attempts for the match. The Bucks finished the regular season with a 46-26 record. Giannis-led Milwaukee Bucks swept the Miami Heat in a seven-game series in the first round of playoffs. Giannis proceeded to out-duel Kevin Durant-led Brooklyn Nets in a challenging game 7.
After sustaining an injury in the Eastern Conference finals, he recovered and won in the finals against the Phoenix Suns. In six games he finished with a 50 point game so this was the most successful close-hour game performance in NBA history. His stats were an impressive 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. He was able to bring Milwaukee Bucks its first championship since 1971, when Kareem Abdul Jabbar won it. He could also snag the Finals MVP trophy as the best player for the entire playoff series. Giannis leads the NBA in scoring and is the favourite to win the regular season MVP for the third time.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a husband to former basketball player Mariah Riddlesprigger and father to their son Liam. He embodies the spirit of grit, doggedness and will.
