In the early 2000s, Giannis Antetokounmpo sold CDs on Greek streets; in 2013, he signed his $8.62 million rookie deal with the Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo , the Miami Heat ’s star player, might be one of the greatest players in the league today but his journey to the NBA was not an easy one. While many of the players in the league had a comfortable upbringing, Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family struggled on the streets of Greece for decades before he made it in his life.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family struggled with poverty as they stayed illegally in Greece before he made it to the NBAIn an interview with Adrian Wojnarowski's Woj Pod, the Miami Heat’s star player Giannis Antetokounmpo said, "Sometimes I would go to school, no breakfast…Sometimes, not every time. I would come back, sometimes, no food. Now I have to go to practice. I would come back from practice at 11 pm and that is when I would have my first meal of the day."
The NBA champion added, "When I came to the league, I didn't know where my next meal would come from. My mom was selling stuff in the street…”
Over the last few years, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been public about how he and his siblings sold stuff on the streets to make ends meet.
In an interview he said, "We sold many different things - watches, handbags, sunglasses, key rings, CDs, DVDs. Whatever we could put our hands on…”
For the unversed, the 31 year old star player Giannis Antetokounmpo was born to Nigerian parents who later immigrated illegally to Greece.
As Giannis Antetokounmpo’s family arrived in Greece without any papers, the family struggled to make ends meet and did not have the country’s citizenship to avail state benefits.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a multi millionaire today but he has not forgotten his rootsGiannis Antetokounmpo could be struggling with poverty but he remained passionate about basketball and would often play with his siblings. In 2007, a local coach spotted him and convinced his father to let him start practicing to take it up as a career.
In 2013, when Giannis Antetokounmpo was finally drafted in the league, the family found themselves in a mess as the star player did not have the right documents to travel.
As luck would have it, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s family received Greek citizenship a month later and he finally made it to the NBA.
Life changed overnight for Giannis Antetokounmpo and today, his estimated net worth ranges from $90 million to $170 million.
When he won his first NBA championship , Giannis Antetokounmpo opened up about the win as he said,. "I never thought I'd be 26 years old, with my team playing the NBA Finals. I never thought I would be sitting here. We've come a long way. I started playing basketball just to help my family. Tried to get them out of the struggle, the challenges we were facing when we were kids."
Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family struggled with poverty as they stayed illegally in Greece before he made it to the NBAIn an interview with Adrian Wojnarowski's Woj Pod, the Miami Heat’s star player Giannis Antetokounmpo said, "Sometimes I would go to school, no breakfast…Sometimes, not every time. I would come back, sometimes, no food. Now I have to go to practice. I would come back from practice at 11 pm and that is when I would have my first meal of the day."
The NBA champion added, "When I came to the league, I didn't know where my next meal would come from. My mom was selling stuff in the street…”
Over the last few years, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been public about how he and his siblings sold stuff on the streets to make ends meet.
In an interview he said, "We sold many different things - watches, handbags, sunglasses, key rings, CDs, DVDs. Whatever we could put our hands on…”
For the unversed, the 31 year old star player Giannis Antetokounmpo was born to Nigerian parents who later immigrated illegally to Greece.
As Giannis Antetokounmpo’s family arrived in Greece without any papers, the family struggled to make ends meet and did not have the country’s citizenship to avail state benefits.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a multi millionaire today but he has not forgotten his rootsGiannis Antetokounmpo could be struggling with poverty but he remained passionate about basketball and would often play with his siblings. In 2007, a local coach spotted him and convinced his father to let him start practicing to take it up as a career.
In 2013, when Giannis Antetokounmpo was finally drafted in the league, the family found themselves in a mess as the star player did not have the right documents to travel.
As luck would have it, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s family received Greek citizenship a month later and he finally made it to the NBA.
Life changed overnight for Giannis Antetokounmpo and today, his estimated net worth ranges from $90 million to $170 million.
When he won his first NBA championship , Giannis Antetokounmpo opened up about the win as he said,. "I never thought I'd be 26 years old, with my team playing the NBA Finals. I never thought I would be sitting here. We've come a long way. I started playing basketball just to help my family. Tried to get them out of the struggle, the challenges we were facing when we were kids."
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