Long before the term became a popular nickname and a public persona in the National Basketball Association, Giannis Antetokounmpo was considered a “freak.”

Growing up in the tough Athens neighborhood of Sepolia as one of five siblings to Nigerian immigrants, he was stateless and had to keep his family and himself out of the spotlight.

During the night, racists would target the family, who were allegedly the only Black family in the neighborhood. He is resolved to never forget that chastening childhood.

He would purposefully stay home and keep to himself rather than going out late at night. Nothing was taken for granted in that struggle.

Although it is frequently forgotten, the guy who is now known as Giannis Antetokounmpo was actually Giannis Adetokunbo; this modification matched the Greek spelling on his passport.

Despite never having been to Nigeria as a child, he identified as Greek-Nigerian and was anxious to maintain the African aspect of his lineage prominent.

Parents In 1991, Veronica and Charles left their oldest kid, Francis, and their grandparents behind when they departed Lagos, Nigeria.

Seeking a better life for their growing family was the plan. Then came Giannis three years later.

The problem was that both Veronica and Charles found it extremely difficult to get employment without the required documents for citizenship and residency.

Because finding steady work and, thus, steady cash was so difficult, Antetokounmpo can still clearly recall the evenings when they would have to go without food.

In 2013, Antetokounmpo told the New York moments, “There were times when our refrigerator was empty.”

“On some days, we didn’t have enough money to feed ourselves because we didn’t sell the stuff.”

Charles occasionally worked at an electrical company while Veronica frequently made money babysitting.

However, the Antetokounmpo children had to labor because their home was bustling and the refrigerator was occasionally empty. Again, it was that or starvation.

In order to earn much-needed money to support his parents and siblings, he would attempt to sell DVDs and sunglasses on the streets of Athens. It worked on some days and not on others.

In a 2013 interview, Veronica disclosed that the family had previously been forced to leave their home due to nonpayment of their $455 monthly rent.

The history of Antetokounmpo is as much about tenacity in the face of prejudice as it is about unadulterated, exceptional talent.

His father was a football player in Nigeria, albeit for a short time, and his mother, Veronica, was a well-known high jumper.

The Milwaukee star was raised in a football-crazy home and was an Arsenal fan as a child. His parents were shocked when Giannis and his older brother Thanasis developed a basketball addiction.

In 2020, Antetokounmpo stated, “I played soccer from nine until twelve, and then I started playing basketball at twelve and a half.”

Due to financial constraints, they shared a single pair of trainers for sessions and games of basketball. The family was barely able to make ends meet. Trainers for every youngster was a pipe dream if food was a problem.

In 2019, Chris Iliopoulos Odoemelam, who grew up playing street basketball with Antetokounmpo, told the New York Times, “He was just a guy you would see in the street, hungry and looking for food.”