Who Is Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Greek professional basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo was born in Athens, Greece, on December 6, 1994. He guided the Milwaukee Bucks to their first championship in fifty years in 2021. Antetokounmpo is a tall, exceptional defensive player whose strong, forceful attacking approach is frequently likened to Shaquille O'Neal's. He has won an NBA championship, been voted the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice (2019 and 2020), and been selected Defensive Player of the Year once (2020).
Giannis Adetokunbo, as his surname was originally spelled, was born in Athens to parents who were immigrants from Nigeria and lacked legal status in Greece. Greece does not give citizenship by birth, therefore he and three of his four brothers were regarded as stateless. The family had to deal with xenophobia and the ongoing dread of deportation in addition to financial difficulties. Adetokunbo occasionally sold goods like watches and sunglasses on the streets of Athens to help support the home.
A local coach became interested in Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brothers at the age of 13. Three of them—Thanasis, Kostas, and Alex—would go on to play professional basketball. After they started playing basketball, Giannis Antetokounmpo joined the Greek professional team Filathlitikos three years later. NBA scouts were immediately drawn to him because to his height (he eventually reached 6 feet 11 inches [2.1 meters]) and quickness. He was chosen by the Milwaukee Bucks with the fifteenth overall choice in the 2013 NBA Draft. He received Greek citizenship at about the same time, enabling him to visit the United States. The family then adopted the surname Antetokounmpo.
In the 2013–14 season, Giannis Antetokounmpo made his NBA debut. He steadily improved over the next couple years, despite the Bucks’ struggles. He received the Most Improved Player award in 2016–17, which was his breakthrough season. He was recognized for both his attacking and defensive skills as a dynamic forward, and his extraordinary athleticism gave him the moniker “The Greek Freak.” That season, the Bucks made it to the playoffs, but they were eliminated in the opening round. The franchise hired Mike Budenholzer after firing head coach Jason Kidd during the 2017–18 campaign.
Milwaukee concluded the 2018–19 season with the best record in the league thanks to the coaching change and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ongoing success. With an average of 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, Giannis Antetokounmpo was awarded NBA MVP. Nevertheless, the team’s postseason run ended in sadness when they were eliminated in the conference finals.
Despite finishing with the best record in the league in 2019–20, the Bucks were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. Antetokounmpo became the third player to win both MVP and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season, following Michael Jordan (1988) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1994). It was Antetokounmpo’s second MVP trophy.
The Bucks were the third seed in the Eastern Conference going into the 2020–21 season. Milwaukee went to the championship round after trailing in multiple series, and Giannis Antetokounmpo put on one of the best performances in NBA Finals history. Antetokounmpo guided the Bucks to four consecutive victories despite the team’s initial two losses against the Phoenix Suns.
He scored an amazing 50 points in the pivotal Game 6. The team headed by Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the inaugural title in 1971. This was the franchise’s second championship. After averaging 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game during the series, Antetokounmpo was voted Finals MVP.
Giannis Antetokounmpo experienced numerous setbacks in the years that followed after reaching the pinnacle of NBA greatness. Despite Antetokounmpo’s stellar efforts in the 2021–22 season, which included three games in which he scored 40 points or more, the Bucks lost a seven-game second-round series to the Boston Celtics. The following season, he continued to be an MVP-caliber player, but from 2023 to 2025, the Bucks were ousted in the first round of the playoffs every year, in part due to Antetokounmpo’s inability to play in crucial games due to injuries.
Rumors that he would be traded—possibly at his own request—started to circulate as the club struggled. “It will never happen that I come out and say, ‘I want a trade.’… That’s not in my nature,” Antetokounmpo told The Athletic in January 2026 in the midst of subpar team play and rumors about his future.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has competed internationally for Greece’s national team in addition to his NBA career. Since making his debut with the under-20 squad in the 2013 FIBA European Championship, he has performed admirably for the senior national team in a number of competitions. At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, he participated in his first Olympic Games and carried the Greek flag during the opening ceremony. In 2024, Antetokounmpo married his longtime partner, María Riddlesprigger. The couple has four kids.