Many of you may have heard the expression ‘The Greek Freak’. Some of you know this is the nickname of one of the NBA’s brightest new stars. And most of you, will find it hard to pronounce his name.
Giannis Antetokounmpo just finished his fourth NBA season and blossomed into an all-round superstar in 2016–17 as he led the Bucks in all five major statistical categories and became the first player in NBA history to finish a regular season in the top 20 in total points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. Did you copy that? First player in NBA history! Was that his only record? No, as The Greek Freak at the age of 22 years and 74 days, he became the youngest player in franchise history to start in an All-Star Game.
All those numbers are impressive for the new NBA star and can only suggest his brightest future. There are many who speak of this season as the start of the Greek Freak era and see him as Lebron James’s successor. And while all this sounds amazing, it’s only one part of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s story.
The son of immigrants from Nigeria, Giannis was born in Athens, Greece on December 6, 1994. Three years earlier, his parents had moved from Lagos, Nigeria, to Greece, leaving behind their first-born son, Francis, with his grandparents. Even though Antetokounmpo and three of his four brothers were born in Greece, they did not automatically qualify to receive full Greek citizenship. For the first 18 years of his life, Giannis had no papers from either Nigeria or Greece.
Giannis grew up in the Athens neighbourhood of Sepolia. Like many other immigrants to Greece, his parents struggled to find work. Giannis and his older brother, Thanasis, helped out by hawking items such as watches, bags and sunglasses. In 2007, Giannis started playing basketball
The rest of Gianni’s story was written with hard work and tons of sweat. And makes the perfect success story of how a traffic-light child turned in to an athlete with bright future and nine-figure contracts.
But his story is not just about basketball courts. It has to do also with the integration of the economic refugees in a suffering society. And how a family infused all the eternal values of a nation that in the past has offered so much to Western civilisation.
Because, above all, Giannis is a proud Greek. Since becoming famous and succesful, he never stopped expressing his love for Greece and pride of being Greek. A country that maybe did not provide him with the necessary assistance on his road to success but with what was needed to evolve a solid character. The Greek education.
And that’s The Greek Freak is not only a rising NBA star but an inspiration for young people and a beloved person of the Greek American community.
To mark its 30th anniversary, Cosmos FM, New York City’s Hellenic public radio, decided to honor Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family. On June 4 under the title «The Greek Freak Week», Cosmos FM has organized two unique events to honor Giannis and his family along with other Greek basketball legends who thrived in the past with Greek National Team.
Whoever wants to join the event and maybe even have the chance to meet The Greek Freak in person, can just check the following link: