Giannis Antetokounmpo

Player Profile and Personal Life

Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo (born Adétòkunbọ) was born on December 6, 1994, in Athens, Greece. His birth name is Giannis Sina Ugo Adetokunbo. His parents migrated from Lagos, Nigeria to Greece. He grew up in the Sepolia neighborhood.

He stands 211 cm or 6 feet and 11 inches tall and his weight was last listed at 242 lbs. or 110 kg. He plays the position of power forward.

Antetokounmpo did not become a Greek resident until 2013, a few months before he was drafted into the NBA. Only after he became a Greek citizen was his name translated into Greek and appeared as ‘Antetokounmpo’ on his passport.

Later, he would receive Nigerian citizenship and now holds dual Greek and Nigerian citizenship.

Because his name was not that easy to pronounce, he quickly became known by his nickname – “The Greek Freak”. News networks like CBS Sports started using the nickname as well.

Filathlitikos

Early in his career, Giannis Antetokounmpo played in the semi-pro Greek B Basket league in the third division. He joined the club Filathlitikos. Before he turned 18, he was signed by CAI Zaragoza of Spain. He also received interest from other European basketball clubs.

By the 2012-2013 season, Antetokounmpo was shooting an average of 9.5 game ppg points, five rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. This is despite only having an active playtime of around 22.5 minutes per game. He was also popular among the Greek fans that during the 2013 Greek League All-Star Game, the coaches let him play despite not being named an all-star because the fans liked seeing him on the court.

He stayed with Filathlitikos from 2011 to 2013.

NBA Draft

Antetokounmpo was drafted into the National Basketball Association in the United States during the 2013 NBA Draft. Before the draft, athletic reports had him as a first-round pick, which came true.

He was the 15th overall selection of the 2013 NBA Draft. The Milwaukee Bucks were the ones to select him, he signed a rookie contract with them on July 30, 2013.

On October 13, 2013, the Greek player made his NBA debut. His age was 18 years and 311 days at the time, making him one of the youngest players in league history to make his debut. At the end of his first season, he had made 61 total blocks, which made him the NBA rookie blocks leader.

Early Years with the Bucks

In his second season with the Bucks, he was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week in the first week of February.

In the same season, he recorded his first triple-double in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers. He was just 21 years old at the time, which makes him the youngest player in the history of the Bucks franchise to record a triple-double.

Contract Extension and First All-Star

In 2016, he agreed to a contract extension with the Bucks that was worth $100 million and would see him play for the team through to the 2020 season.

In January 2017, he was named to the NBA All-Star Game for the first time in his career. He was the starter for the Eastern Conference All-Star team. He set another record for being the youngest player in the history of the Bucks franchise to start for an NBA All-Star game.

April 2017 saw him named the Easter Conference Player of the Month. This was a first for the Bucks since Michael Redd was awarded that honor back in 2004. By this time, he was leading the Bucks in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. Antetokounmpo is the fifth player in NBA history to do so.

For the 2016-2017 season, he made the All-NBA Second Team again. Antetokounmpo was also named the Most Improved Player; he is the first player in the history of the Bucks to be named so.

In the 2017-2018 season, he was again named to the All-Star team and was an All-NBA selection once more. He also broke Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s record for making triple-doubles.

Twice an MVP and Other Accolades

The 2018-2019 season saw the Bucks deal with a new Coach in Mike Budenholzer. In October, he was again named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month. That season, the Bucks reached the Eastern Conference semifinals and then the finals. They won the first two games but were beaten by the Toronto Raptors.

This season, he was first named to the All-NBA First Team for the first time. He would be named to the first team again in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Also, since 2017, he has been consistently named an NBA All-Star.

At the 2019 NBA Awards, he was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. He would be named the MVP again in 2020, via unanimous voting. He was also named the Defensive Player of the Year for 2020.

In 2021, he helped lead the Bucks to win the NBA Championship. He was named the NBA Finals MVP in 2021. He was also named the NBA All-Star Game MVP in the same year. Also, this year, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

In 2023, he was named an NBA All-Star for the seventh time.

Career Highlights

• 2021 - NBA Champion
• 2021 - NBA Finals MVP
• 2019, 2020 - NBA Most Valuable Player
• 2017–2023 - NBA All-Star
• 2021 - NBA All-Star Game MVP
• 2019–2023 - All-NBA First Team
• 2017, 2018 - All-NBA Second Team
• 2020 - NBA Defensive Player of the Year
• 2019–2022 - NBA All-Defensive First Team
• 2017 - NBA All-Defensive Second Team
• 2017 - NBA Most Improved Player
• 2014 - NBA All-Rookie Second Team
• NBA 75th Anniversary Team
• 2022 - FIBA EuroBasket Top Scorer
• 2018 - Euroscar Player of the Year
• 2013 - Greek League All-Star