Giannis Antetokounmpo

December 6, 2024

Fast Facts
Background
Career Timeline
Why We Love
Surprising Facts
FAQs

Giannis Antetokounmpo was born on December 6, 1994, in Greece. Today, Antetokounmpo is one of the biggest N.B.A. players of our time. Picked in the 2013 N.B.A. draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, Antetokounmpo has forged himself a name in the basketball world. But his life wasn’t always so easy. He was the son of immigrant parents living in Greece, so he had no citizenship until he was 18. These obstacles didn’t prevent Antetokounmpo from reaching his dreams. Today, we celebrate his birthday!

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Giannis Sino Ugo Antetokounmpo

Nickname:

Greek Freak

Birth date:

December 6, 1994

Age:

Zodiac Sign:

Sagittarius

Height:

6' 11"

Relationship Status:

In a relationship

Net Worth:

$42.5 million

Background

Basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo was born in 1994, in Athens, Greece. His parents were Nigerian immigrants. His dad, Charles Antetokounmpo, was a football player, and his mom, Veronica Antetokounmpo, was a high jumper. He has four brothers, Kostas, Alex, Francis, and Thanasis. Due to his parents’ immigrant status, they couldn’t get good jobs. Antetokounmpo and his brothers had to help their family by working part-time selling watches and sunglasses on the streets. In 2007, Antetokounmpo started playing basketball, already showing great skills. He played for local teams in Athens. In 2011, he played in the Greek B Basket League for the Filathlitikos.

In 2013, Antetokounmpo finally obtained his Greek citizenship. That same year, he was picked 15th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the N.B.A. draft. The young basketball player has performed outstandingly since he joined the Bucks. In 2017, he won the award for Most Improved Player and was in the same year selected to participate in the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the N.B.A. All-Star game. At just 22 years old, Antetokounmpo became the youngest player in the franchise to start in an All-Star game. He participated in a total of six All-Star games and was named captain of the Eastern Conference twice, in 2019 and 2020. In 2021. The star led his team, the Milwaukee Bucks, to its first N.B.A. Championship since 1971. He was named Finals Most Valuable Player.

Antetokounmpo met volleyball player Mariah Riddlesprigger in 2016. Soon after, they started dating. They have two children, born in 2020 and 2021.

Career timeline

2007

His Basketball Journey Begins

Giannis Antetokounmpo begins his career playing basketball for local teams.

2011

He Joins the Greek League

Antetokounmpo begins playing for the Greek B League.

2013

He Joins the Milwaukee Bucks

Antetokounmpo achieves a big career leap as he is picked by the N.B.A. team the Milwaukee Bucks.

2021

The Most Valuable Player Award

Antetokounmpo receives the award for the M.V.P. of the N.B.A. Finals.

Why We Love Giannis Antetokounmpo

His charity work is impressive
Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family donated over 20,000 masks during the pandemic. He also helped to pay the salaries of the Fiserv Forum’s staff during those hard times.
His impression of Justin Bieber
Antetokounmpo does a killer impression of the pop singer. You can check him out on YouTube singing ‘What Do You Mean?’
His sense of humor
Antetokounmpo is genuinely funny. There is a video on Youtube of the basketball player sharing his funniest dad jokes. He is also incredibly funny when answering questions from the press.

5 Surprising Facts

He has dual citizenship
Giannis Antetokounmpo is both a Greek and a Nigerian citizen.
His M.I.P. and M.V.P. records
He is the only player to have won both the Most Improved Player and the Most Valuable Player awards.
His big hands
Antetokounmpo's hands are huge, 12 inches to be precise.
His signature shoe
He has a signature shoe named “Zoom Freak.”
The N.B.A.’s trio of brothers
Antetokounmpo and his brothers, Kostas and Thanais, are the only trio of brothers in the N.B.A.