Long before he became arguably the best player in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo was a fan favorite in Milwaukee. He was just 18 years old when the Bucks selected him with the 15th pick of the 2013 NBA Draft and Giannis immediately caught the eye due to his freakish athleticism. While he was nowhere near the freak that he is today, the tall, gangly teen still stood out.
Giannis was also a fun-loving character who was adjusting to life in his new surroundings, having just come over from Greece, and his teammates showed him just how things are done in America. Zaza Pachulia, who had been in the NBA for over a decade by the time Giannis arrived, once shared a hilarious clip of the rookie doing the Dougie.
He did a fine job at that too and showcased some impressive dance moves right there! It was the camaraderie in the locker room that probably kept Giannis going in that rookie year, as he had thought of quitting at one point.
“He was without his family because they couldn’t get the proper visas. They got denied twice to come to America. He felt so lonely to the point where his brother told me, Alex, that Giannis told his family. If you guys can’t come over here, I’m leaving. I’m going back to Greece. Imagine if he would have left, there would be no Giannis, there would be no Greek Freak. He was really close to that, it was really painful & hard,” Fader added.
We fail to comprehend just how difficult it can be for someone so young to come to a foreign land all alone while also not being well-versed with the language. He, fortunately, had his teammates to help him, and eventually, his brothers would one day make it to the NBA themselves, which would have meant a lot to Giannis. Their story, which began in Nigeria and ended with them getting to the NBA, was made into a movie titled ‘Rise’ which came out earlier this year and it is a great watch.
Not many would have thought that the skinny teenager on the Bucks would become what he is today and it speaks to Giannis’ determination to succeed that he has gotten to where he is right now. He shows no signs of stopping either, as he is currently dominating at the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers and is also among the favorites to win NBA MVP next season.
