The basketball forward/guard Giannis Antetokounmpo is a professional basketball player associated with the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Since he was picked by the Bucks during the 2013 NBA draft, Giannis has earned NBA All-Star and All-NBA Second Team honors. After an impressive performance in 2017, he won the most improved player award while he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
Prior to his NBA career, Giannis has played professionally for the Greek team called Filathlitikos, he has also represented the Greece National basketball team in different international competitions. Read more about Giannis Antetokounmpo below.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Bio (Age)
The Greek basketball star was born Giannis Antetokounmpo in Athens, Greece on the 6th of December, 1994. Giannis made his first touch in the game when he was thirteen years old and when he was fifteen in 2009; he joined the Greek youth team Filathlitikos. The baller is of Greek-Nigerian ethnic background.
Playing basketball in Greece, Giannis completed three seasons with the Filathlitikos youth team from 2009 to 2012. As he turned pro at the age of eighteen, he joined the Filathlitikos senior team where he played for a season (2012/13 season) before being shortlisted for the NBA draft of 2013.
Interestingly, the basketball play-maker attracted the attention of several major European clubs during his stint with the Filathlitikos. Toward the end of the 2012/13 season, the Greek Freak as he is called penned a four-year deal with the Spanish side CAI Zaragoza which was meant to start from the 2013/14 season. The contract also includes NBA buyouts at the end of each season. However, at the end of the 2012/13 season; Giannis was placed as one of the 2013 NBA draft prospects.
NBA Career and Stats
Giannis Antetokounmpo was invited for the NBA combine drills where he put up a wonderful performance. After the drills, he was projected to be among the first-rounders in the draft. He was eventually chosen by the Milwaukee Buck as the 15th overall selection in the 2013 draft after which he penned down his rookie contract with the Bucks on 30th July 2013.
Making his first professional appearance in the 2013/14 NBA regular season, the Greek-Nigerian baller made a total of 77 appearances for the Buck recording an average of 4.4 rebounds and 6.8 points per game. He earned a spot in the NBA Rising Stars Challenge at the All-Star Weekend and at the end of his rookie year; Giannis was selected to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
The next season, Giannis tallied 6.7 rebounds and 12.7 points per game, thus leading the Bucks to the playoffs. However, they were defeated by the Chicago Bulls by a 4 – 2 record in the playoffs. In the 2015/16 season, he made a tremendous improvement in his games; thereby finishing the season with a record of 7.7 rebounds and 16.9 points per game.
In 2016, Giannis made his 7th career triple-double making him one step away from beating the franchise record of eight triple-doubles held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He also got selected to the NBA All-Star, All-Star Second Team, and All-Defensive Second team after finishing the season with an average of 8.7 rebounds and 22.9 points. For his brilliant achievements, Giannis was honored with the NBA Most Improved Player Award for his efforts. In the 2017/18 season, Antetokounmpo averaged 10.0 rebounds and 26.9 points per game while being selected to the NBA All-Star for the second time consecutively.
What is His Salary?
Without a doubt, Giannis Antetokounmpo has become one of the highest-paid players in the NBA. The star player penned down a four-year rookie contract worth $100 million with the Bucks in 2013 and he receives $25 million in salary. Antetokounmpo also has a whopping net worth of $40 million. In addition to his flourishing basketball career, Giannis also signed an endorsement deal with Nike, among others.
Family: Parents, Brother, and Girlfriend
The Greek basketball star is one of the five children born to Charles Antetokounmpo and his wife Veronica Antetokounmpo. Three years before he was born, his parents moved from Nigeria to Greece where he was then born. He has four brothers – Thanasis, Francis, Kostas, and Alexis Antetokounmpo.
Just like Antetokounmpo, two of his brothers are also basketball players. His older brother Thanasis currently plays for the Panathinaikos team of the Greek Basketball League, while his younger brother Kostas also plays the role of a power forward for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. Kostas was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2018 draft and subsequently, he was traded to the Mavericks. Kostas is currently on a two-way contract with the Mavericks. He shares his time between the Mavericks and their G-League affiliate Texas Legends.
While Giannis has been having a wonderful basketball career, he also got an interesting love life. He has been in a relationship with a lady named Mariah Riddlesprigger. Mariah played volleyball at Rice University. Born and raised in Fresno, California, Mariah attended Bullard High School before going to Rice University. She graduated with a degree in Sports Management in 2014 and also interned at the NBA for two years after her graduation. Giannis and Mariah have been enjoying a blissful relationship and they both reside in Milwaukee. Always together, seeing the love between these two, you’d sincerely say they are meant to live happily ever after and we wish them the very best.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Height and Weight
Basketball is a game for tall people and in this, the Greek Freak is certainly not found wanting. Though he is not the tallest to have ever played on an NBA court, his height of 6 feet 11 inches (2.11m) is just apt to see him perform his duties on the court just as his weight of 101 kg or 222 lbs makes him no pushover on the court.
