A wave of international players have taken over the NBA, and near the top of the list is the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis is an MVP winner and an NBA champion, but he came from extremely humble origins. His brother and teammate Thanasis opened up about their challenging road to the NBA during an appearance on Above the Rim with Dwight Howard.
Giannis has more than earned his nickname of “The Greek Freak” due to his impressive build and startling athleticism. So, it’s difficult for most fans to imagine a time when he could have been playing in the third division in Greece for peanuts. Thanasis said, “When we first started, me and Giannis used to make 300 euros combined.” That’s quite a start for two players that have combined to make over $290 million in the NBA.
Thanasis went on to say that he and Giannis didn’t think much about the money in those early years. “You start with the love of the game first,” he revealed. He and Giannis got into the game in the first place after watching the Greek national team defeat Team USA in the semifinals of the 2006 FIBA World Cup.
Thanks to a team loaded with legendary European players, Greece prevailed. These included the likes of Theo Papaloukas, Vassilis Spanoulis, and Sofoklis Schortsanitis, who was known as “Baby Shaq.” “[That team] shaped the way we looked at basketball,” he said.
That inspiration sent Giannis and Thanasis on the path to a life in basketball, one that culminated with them coming to America to play in the NBA. Even younger brothers, Kostas and Alex, have taken up basketball as their career with both having been drafted by the NBA at one point.
Thanasis has been vital in Giannis’s on-court success
Gilbert Arenas believes that people don’t realize how important Thanasis has been to the Bucks and Giannis’ success.
“Besides Giannis, the most important player on that team was Thanasis,” Arenas said on an episode of his podcast, Gil’s Arena.
Even though Thanasis hasn’t contributed much on the court during his time in the league, Arenas’ take cannot be shunned to the side. Giannis clearly has a different motor to him when his brother is courtside. The Bucks are undefeated with Thanasis onlooking Bucks games this season. Jeff Teague, a former Buck, has also stated that the unique connection between the 2x MVP and his older brother is what fuels the former to do better on NBA hardwood.
Thanasis is still recovering from a torn Achilles that he suffered in May, which will force him to miss the entire season. He’s currently an unrestricted free agent and it’s unclear if Milwaukee will look to pick him up once he’s healthy. Unsurprisingly, Milwaukee has overcome its slow start to become the hottest team in the NBA and the winners of the NBA Cup, with Giannis claiming tournament MVP.
2024-12-19 00:52:47
