Celebrity Biographies
Giannis Antetokounmpo Biography And Net Worth
Who is Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a professional basketball player from Greece and Nigeria. He plays for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA. He’s known as the “Greek Freak” because of his incredible size, speed, strength, and ball-handling skills. Many consider him one of the best power forwards and European players ever.
He’s won two NBA Most Valuable Player Awards in a row in 2019 and 2020, which is a rare achievement. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James did that before turning 26. Giannis also won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, making him only the third player to win both awards in the same season, alongside Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon.
In this article, RNN explores Giannis Antetokounmpo’s life, career, and net worth.
Bio Data
| Full Name | Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo |
| Date Of Birth | December 6, 1994 |
| Age | 28 Years Old |
| Place Of Birth | Athens, Greece |
| Nationality | Nationality Greek / Nigerian |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Weight | 243 lb (110 kg) |
| Profession | Basketball Player |
| Net Worth | $70 Million |
| Relationship Status | Married |
Early Life
Giannis Adétòkunbọ̀ was born in Athens, Greece, on December 6, 1994. His parents came from Nigeria. His dad used to play soccer in Nigeria, and his mom was a high jumper. They moved from Lagos to Athens three years before Giannis was born, leaving their first son Francis with his grandparents. Giannis grew up in the Sepolia neighborhood of Athens, where most people were from Nigeria. His parents couldn’t find jobs easily, so Giannis and his older brother Thanasis sold watches, handbags, and sunglasses on the streets.
In 2007, Giannis started playing basketball. Even though Giannis and three of his brothers were born in Greece, they didn’t automatically become Greek citizens because of the country’s rules. Giannis sometimes felt like he didn’t fit in with both the Greek and Nigerian communities in Athens due to his parents’ background and his different skin color on one side and not knowing Yoruba or Igbo languages on the other side.
For the first 18 years of his life, Giannis couldn’t leave Greece and had no official papers. But in May 2013, he got Greek citizenship. His last name officially became Antetokounmpo. Many people in the NBA couldn’t say his last name, so they started calling him the “Greek Freak.” Giannis also has Nigerian citizenship, which he got in 2015. He feels both Greek and Nigerian and embraces both parts of his identity.
Professional Career
From 2011 to 2013, Antetokounmpo played for the team Filathlitikos in a semi-pro basketball league in Greece. In 2012, he signed a four-year contract with a Spanish team, CAI Zaragoza. During the 2012-13 season, he had good stats in the Greek A2 League, including points, rebounds, assists, and blocks per game.
In 2013, he joined the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA as the 15th overall pick. In his rookie season, he played well, making his debut at a young age and earning a spot on the NBA All-Rookie second team.
Over the next few years, Antetokounmpo improved his performance, earning All-Star selections and setting records. In 2016, he signed a lucrative contract extension with the Bucks. In the 2018-2019 season, he won the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
The 2019-2020 season was another successful one for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, and he won his second consecutive MVP award and the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. In the playoffs, the Bucks reached the Eastern Conference Finals but fell short of the NBA championship.
2020-21
Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to an NBA championship, winning the NBA Finals MVP award. He had an exceptional performance in the Finals, including multiple 40-point games.
The following season, Antetokounmpo continued to shine, setting career-highs in scoring and leading the Bucks to a strong regular season. However, the Bucks were upset in the playoffs by the Miami Heat.
In the 2022-2023 season, Antetokounmpo had several standout performances, including a career-high 55-point game. He also set records for the Bucks franchise. Despite his individual success, the Bucks were eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by the Miami Heat.
Antetokounmpo has also represented Greece in international competitions, including EuroBasket and the FIBA Basketball World Cup, where he played well but did not win any major titles with the national team.
Awards and Honors
Giannis Antetokounmpo has won several awards and honors in basketball:
- He won the NBA Championship in 2021.
- Giannis is a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, receiving the award in 2019 and 2020.
- He earned the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2020.
- Giannis has been selected for the NBA All-Star Game seven times in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
- He was the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 2021.
- Giannis was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2017.
- He has received All-NBA honors seven times, being part of the All-NBA First Team in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023, and the All-NBA Second Team in 2017 and 2018.
- He was part of the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2014.
- Giannis was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
- In the EuroBasket tournament in 2022, he was the top scorer and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
- He was recognized as the Euroscar European Player of the Year in 2018.
- Giannis was included in the Time 100 list in 2021.
- He won the Best Male Athlete ESPY Award in 2019.
Personal Life
In February 2020, Mariah Riddlesperger, his girlfriend, had their first son, Liam. In August 2021, she had their second son, Maverick, and in May 2023, she announced that she was expecting a third child.
On March 13, 2020, Antetokounmpo and his family promised to give $100,000 to the Fiserv Forum staff who couldn’t work due to the suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Antetokounmpo and his family also gifted 20,000 masks to people in Athens and Zografou, Greece.
Net Worth
Antetokounmpo has earned a lot of money from playing basketball. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he is estimated to be worth $70 million.