Aside from his basketball skills, one thing that endeared Giannis Antetokounmpo not jus to Milwaukee Bucks but to people all over the world is his past before the NBA. Some people even call it some kind of a super hero story.
This life of the Greek Freak is well-documented. His parents were undocumented immigrants in Greece and they grew up there moving from one home to another while constantly deal with the anxiety of suddenly getting deported to their home in Nigeria.
In the NBA, there was even one instance during his rookie year when when he had to run to the Bradley Center because he sent all his money to his family who were all still living in Greece back then.
His whole life story was told beautifully in a Disney film titled Rise in 2022.
The movie garnered 95 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 21 critics’ reviews.
One reviewer praised it for its “depiction of positive messages and the presence of role models, citing hard work and perseverance, and complimented the diverse representations across the characters and their origins.”
This comment is the reason why the Antetokounmpo brothers did the film.
Giannis Antetokounmpo said they did it for his father
The film was first conceived in 2018. In the Thanalysis Show, the podcast of his brother and former teammate Thanasis, it was revealed that they were approached by some executives because of their incredible story.
Although he was budding basketball superstar back then, Giannis thought that the film will not be told as that. Instead, it will look like a tribute to their late father.
“I was listening,” Giannis continued, “and at the time, I realized this story is not a basketball story, and this is not our story for it to be told. It’s our parents’ story. Dad had passed away one year prior to that, so I was like, ‘No no, this is Mom and Dad’s story of the sacrifice they made throughout their journey for us to be in a better position to be successful in life.’”
His father Charles passed away in 2017, the first year he became an All-Star. It has been a great journey for him since then and every time he gets a chance, he makes sure to impart knowledge and wisdom he learned from his father.
He also set up a foundation named after Charles.
Giannis officially launches the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation✅ pic.twitter.com/DrvpXJpRKZ
— IKE Bucks Podcast (@IKE_Bucks) August 3, 2022
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