The way sports are run as a meritocracy, how jobs are given based on ability alone, can be a double-edged sword. It’s why Greg Hardy is still employed by an NFL team. It’s why [fill in athlete name with a criminal record] still makes millions every season. But a system where ability for the job trumps all else also creates an environment where pro sports teams have become the pinnacle of social consolidation. That’s why locker rooms are filled with whites, blacks, Christians, Muslims, Jews, Americans, Brazilians, and so on. Sports leagues are blind in that way. That’s how the San Antonio Spurs built a basketball empire around Tim Duncan (born in the Virgin Islands), Tony Parker (born and raised in France), and Manu Ginobili (Argentina), then only got better by adding a kid off the streets of Compton, California (Kawhi Leonard). That’s why Giannis Antetokounmpo now has a home.
Antetokounmpo’s parent are both Nigerian, but he was born in Greece on December 4, 1991. Until 2013, Antetokounmpo didn’t have full citizenship in either Nigeria or Greece, where he now holds citizenship (and earned him the nickname “The Greek Freak,” along with his Stretch Armstrong-like physique). And when he grew up, he was poor … real poor. He and his brothers often missed basketball practice growing up because they were busy selling goods (watches, purses, ect.) on the streets to help their immigrant parents pay the bills.
That street-peddling, humble background showed through during his rookie season. According to this great Adrian Wojnarowski profile, Antetokounmpo bought a PS4 when he came to America to pass the time when he was alone at home, but felt so guilty about having paid the $399 price tag for it that he turned around and sold it – at retail price – to a Bucks assistant coach. Antetokounmpo also furnished his apartment with hand-me-down furniture from his teammates.
In a sports landscape where rooting for certain athletes becomes a moral conundrum (like Cowboys fans with Greg Hardy), Antetokounmpo gives fans a humble, almost-21-year-old kid to root for. And as exciting as it is to watch him grow up on the court, it’s also fun to watch him experience life in America because he’s got such an engaging personality. Oh, and he’s also all about that smoothie life now:
I just taste for the first time a smothie..MAN GOD BLESS AMERICA😊
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) January 20, 2014
Prior to the 2014 draft, Antetokounmpo signed to play in Spain, thinking the NBA was still a long-shot. When the Milwaukee Bucks selected Giannis Antetokounmpo with the fifteenth pick of the 2013 NBA Draft, many saw it as a long-term move. Which is to say: Antetokounmpo would continue to play professionally in Europe and work his way up their pipeline (since he played in the Greek version of the D-League), and the Bucks would monitor the situation and bring him over when they saw he was ready.
Didn’t happen.
The Bucks did have a long-term vision, but getting to the long-term goal meant they were dedicated to finding NBA minutes for their first round pick immediately. Instead of monitor his evolution from abroad, they’d monitor it from their box at the arena.
As a rookie, Antetokounmpo played 24.6 minutes a game, netting 6.8 points (with a 41.4% field goal percentage), 1.9 assists, and 4.4 rebounds. In his second season, his minutes went up to 31.4 a game, and the rest of his averages lept across the board: 12.7 points (on 49.1% shooting), 2.6 assists, 6.7 rebounds. Now, in his third season, his numbers have taken a similar leap. (Keep in mind we’re dealing with a very small sample size for this season, but his numbers should not be diminished.) As Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said, “This year, early on in the season, he’s been pretty close to dominant.”
Through eight games played (Antetokounmpo was suspended for the first), he’s up to 18 points (on 55% shooting), and holding steady with 2.3 assists and 6.8 rebounds per game. His extraordinary length allows him to cover more ground than most, and makes his shots near impossible to block, and combined with his basketball savvy, the Bucks can play Antetokounmpo at any position. When’s he’s playing at full confidence (which is happening more consistently with time), he’s a pterodactyl gliding around court.
One thing Milwaukee was probably concerned about when they drafted Antetokounmpo – given his background and personality – was that he might lack a mean streak, and his timidness would cap his ability to take over a game when the Bucks needed him to. That shouldn’t be an issue anymore. In fact, the opposite has become true. Antetokounmpo – because of his background and personality – has grown undyingly loyal to his teammates and to the Milwaukee community (his little brothers play high school and grade school ball in nearby Whitefish Bay, while his older brother, Thanasis, plays in the NBA D-League).
That thing about him not having a mean streak? Well, remember above how it was mentioned that Antetokounmpo was suspended for the first game? During the Bucks’ playoff series against the Bulls last year, the Bucks thought the Bulls were taking cheap shots at them, and Giannis did something about it by hip-checking Mike Dunleavy (thus, he got ejection from that game as well as suspended for this year’s opener):
While he may be done growing physically (he was 6’9” when drafted and now is listed at 6’11”), he still needs to grow as a player to truly join the elite tier. He needs to get stronger (he’s listed at a mere 216 lbs.), and he needs a more consistent outside shot, as he’s a career 30% three-point shooter. But even if Antetokounmpo doesn’t turn into a mega-superstar, he’s already a generational talent. Very few – if any – players who play in the world’s best league can go the length of the court in four dribbles for a dunk the way he can. And he makes it look effortless, like taking a defensive rebound and beating everyone down the court was what Giannis Antetokounmpo was meant to do.
If there’s a kid out there has the talent, professional sports will find you and give you an opportunity. That’s why Giannis Antetokounmpo found home in the NBA, and he just might be taking the steps towards making the Milwaukee Bucks a title contender just when the NBA hits its post-LeBron James-at-his-peak era. That’s how a Nigerian kid who grew up in the streets of Athens, Greece found success in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
