Giannis Antetokounmpo: The Journey from a Street Boy to the Pinnacle of Wealth
From an immigrant kid, Giannis Antetokounmpo is now at the pinnacle of wealth with his latest supermax contract worth $228 million.
Every journey has a starting point and great journeys always start from hardships. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a typical example of overcoming difficulties to achieve admirable success in the NBA.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is the second child in a family of four. After leaving his eldest son Thanasis to his grandparents in Nigeria, his parents immigrated to Greece. It was also in Greece that little Giannis cried out at birth. However, he was not granted Greek citizenship due to the law there.
Every journey has a starting point, and great journeys always begin with tough challenges. Giannis Antetokounmpo is a prime example of overcoming difficulties to achieve admirable success in the NBA
For the first 18 years of his life, Giannis was completely stateless. It was not until he was 18 that he officially became a Greek citizen, and his parents changed their son’s surname from Adetokunbo to Antetokounmpo in Greek.
Growing up in the Sepolia suburb of Athens, life was very difficult for Giannis’ family. His parents had a hard time finding stable jobs to support the family. His father worked as a repairman and his mother worked as a maid for other families.
Therefore, Giannis had to from a young age to make a living for his parents. Giannis’ childhood was spent many days in the rain and sun selling goods such as watches, sunglasses or handbags on the sidewalks of Athens.
However, basketball was what made Giannis’ life less difficult. When he reunited with his brother Thanasis, the two immediately found love for the orange ball. Giannis once told fans that he and his brother often played basketball on an empty stomach. All these efforts laid the foundation for his future success.
In 2009, he joined the youth team of the local club Filathlitikos. From there, Giannis Antetokounmpo gradually rose to the main team in the third and second divisions of Greece in 2012. The match that made him start to attract the attention of player scouts when he scored up to 50 points in a match.
That December, he got closer to his dream of becoming a professional player. The Spanish professional team Zaragoza was the team that signed the Greek demigod, although Barcelona had also made an offer for him. Giannis’ first professional contract worth 4 million Euros for 4 years really overwhelmed the young man at that time. Little did he know that the future ahead of him was much brighter
Just one year later, Giannis participated in the 2013 NBA Draft. The Milwaukee Bucks were lucky enough to have him as the 15th pick. In just 7 years, Giannis went from a talented player to a top superstar with two consecutive MVP titles (2019 and 2020).
Before signing his latest supermax contract worth 228.2 million USD, his total assets from salary as well as shoe contracts with Nike were 60 million USD (according to IBT). From a street vendor to a millionaire, it was a difficult but beautiful journey. Giannis’ story is typical of a hard-working player who overcame difficulties. Most people in Giannis’ situation would fall into temptation. However, with his passion for basketball and his family’s love, he was strong enough to rise up and become a role model for many to follow.