Giannis Antetokounmpo used basketball as a pathway to a better life. As his hoop dreams started coming true, Giannis had to fly out to the USA from Greece for the 2013 NBA Draft process. He traveled alongside his elder brother Thanasis and his agent but was in shock when he found out that the three business class tickets cost €22,800.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: “I was grateful for that moment but I was very nervous. I was selling stuff in the streets six months ago.”
Thanasis Antetokounmpo: “I remember when we went into the airport, they flew us in business class. You know how the seat (has a divider) is in the middle, and I’m moving it and looking at Giannis like, ‘Yo what’s going on?”
Giannis Antetokounmpo: “It was me, Thanasis, and my agent. He had the papers and he showed us like, the seat. He was like ‘€22,800’ and I’m like ‘holy f**k’. Why didn’t he just give us the money? We can just stay home.”
Giannis hadn’t encountered the massive financial advantages of the NBA at that point, so knowing that three plane tickets cost them that much had to have been unsettling for the young Greek superstar. That same money handed to him and his family would have been life-altering at the moment, but what Giannis went on to achieve was even greater.
Giannis was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2013 NBA Draft, signing on as a high-potential prospect that could become a superstar one day. He lived up to that billing and even exceeded it, becoming a two-time MVP, a Defensive Player of the Year winner, and most importantly, a champion in 2021.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Altered His Family’s Future
Giannis being drafted by the Bucks completely changed the fortunes of the Antetokounmpo family. He would send most of the money he earned in his rookie contract back home to his family, with an infamous story of Giannis running down the streets of Milwaukee trying to make it to a game because he had no money for a taxi. He comes from humble roots that many NBA players also probably can’t relate to.
Giannis developed into an All-NBA caliber player by the 2016-17 season, his final year on his rookie contract. He would sign a lucrative four-year extension worth $100 million, winning both his MVPs and his DPOY over the course of that contract. Even with team success not following, Giannis re-signed with the Bucks in the 2020 offseason for a whopping five-year, $228 million contract.
This contract will run into next season, but Giannis has already signed a three-year extension worth $175 million which will expire in 2028. He has made $234.4 million as an NBA player and stands to make $459.1 million by the time 2028 rolls around.
Giannis becoming a success in the NBA opened up the door for his brothers Thanasis, Kostas, and Alex. Thanasis has been in the NBA since 2015 and made $9.1 million in his career. He’s been Giannis’ teammate for the last five years and won a title alongside him in 2021.
Kostas won a title before Giannis as a part of the 2020 Lakers squad and is currently hopping in Europe. Alex has been playing in the NBA G League, with some believing he could be a real NBA talent in the next few seasons. The Antetokounmpos have become a basketball family, all because of Giannis’ emergence.
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