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The NBA has seen few talents quite like Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“The Greek Freak” has injected new life into a Milwaukee Bucks franchise that has had little to cheer about over the last three decades. Antetokounmpo is the team’s first superstar since Ray Allen, and arguably the best Buck since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It’s been quite some time since the Bucks have been title contenders; they haven’t won a playoff series since 2001, which gives them the longest active series victory drought in the NBA.
But anything is possible for the Bucks thanks to Antetokounmpo. He’s averaged 27.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game, making him one of the game’s best all-around players. He’s contributed significantly to the Bucks’ best record in eight years, and helped them make consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in 14 years.
Antetokounmpo has also continued to broaden the NBA’s international sights. A Greek native with Nigerian ancestry, Antetokounmpo offers the NBA a superstar to sell to the globe, and it’s paid off big time for the league—and for the Bucks. Milwaukee was No. 6 in league merchandise sales from October to December of 2017, which put them ahead of big-market NBA cornerstones like the Celtics, Spurs, and Bulls. The Bucks also reported that a majority of their site traffic comes from international sources, giving them perhaps the biggest international sensation since Yao Ming broke in with the Rockets. The NBA is clearly looking to go global, and Antetokounmpo will be a big part of those future plans.
At just 23 years old, it’s not a stretch to call Antetokounmpo an international icon—and he’ll easily be one of the most talked-about players in the NBA playoffs this year. Given how truly monumental the Greek Freak is, here are 15 things you need to know about him.
1. You’ve Probably Been Pronouncing It Wrong
His last name is pronounced “ah-deh-toh-KOON-boh,” but because there are different ways of pronouncing it in Nigeria and Greece, he sometimes changes the pronunciation himself. Most people just call him “Giannis” or “Greek Freak,” and it’s not hard to see why.
2. He’s One of the NBA’s Most Popular Players
Antetokounmpo's No. 34 jersey was the fourth best-selling jersey this past holiday season, according to NBA.com. The only players whose jerseys performed better were Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant. Antetokounmpo also finished second behind LeBron in All-Star fan voting, with about 2.5 million votes.
It’s pretty impressive to see a player from Milwaukee beat out players from every major-market franchise in both of these categories, including the Knicks, Lakers, Celtics, and Bulls.
3. He’s Already Setting Records
Antetokounmpo is already making his presence felt in the record books.
Last season, he became the first player in NBA history to finish in the top 20 in all five major categories. This year, he’s top 20 in four of the five categories, save for assists.
The Greek Freak also joined Tracy McGrady and LeBron James as the only players to record 5,000 points, 2,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists before the age of 23. Something tells me that these won’t be the only records Antetokounmpo ends up breaking.
4. His Advanced Stats Are Great, Too
In addition to his aforementioned traditional stats, his advanced stats are great as well. He ranks in the top 20 in win shares (12.1, sixth), offensive win shares (8.5, fifth), defensive win shares (3.5, 19th), box plus-minus (5.9, ninth), and value over replacement players (5.5, fifth). There are few metrics of any kind where Antetokounmpo doesn’t rank as one of the game’s elite.
Again, he’s only 23 years old. Antetokounmpo has room for improvement, and his best days should be ahead of him. Imagine that.
5. But His Greek League Stats Weren’t Great
You’d think a future first-rounder like Antetokounmpo would tear up the second division of Greek professional basketball—which in reality is hardly professional basketball. But he actually didn’t; instead, he averaged just 9.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 26 games for Filathlitikos B.C. in the 2012-13 season (granted, he was only 18).
6. He Can Play All Five Positions
Only a few guys in NBA history could play any of the five positions—and even fewer could play all five at a high level. LeBron James and Magic Johnson are really the only two major examples that come to mind.
As great as they were (and still are, in LeBron’s case), neither of them may have been as well-rounded at all five positions as Antetokounmpo is. Had he been forced to stick to only one position, he would be a star at that position, no matter what it was. He passes like a point guard, has the speed of a small forward, and at 6’11”, he can throw it down like a center. His skill set is a beautiful hybrid of Allen Iverson, Larry Bird, and Kevin Garnett, one that might otherwise only exist in a video game.
But for Antetokounmpo, it’s real. And it’s spectacular.
7. He’s the First International Player With a Signature Nike Shoe Deal
In November, Antetokounmpo announced that he and Nike had reached agreement on a “long-term partnership.” This came after several companies attempted to court one of the sneaker game’s biggest free agents; Adidas bought him a truck full of kicks—including some Yeezys—to try to win his services. And Chinese shoe giant Li Ning was believed to have made a push as well.
Subsequent media reports stated that the Nike deal included a signature shoe, which would make him the 22nd player to ever get a signature shoe with Nike, and the first player born outside of the United States to do so. Given the 14-to-18 month timeframe typically needed to create a signature shoe, you can expect your “Giannis 1’s” (or whatever they’ll be called) to drop sometime in late 2019 or early 2020.
8. He’s the Best Buck Since Kareem
In 2017, Antetokounmpo became the first Bucks player to make an All-Star team since Michael Redd in 2004. This year, he became the first Bucks player to make consecutive All-Star teams since Ray Allen did it from 1999-2001. Antetokounmpo also joined Redd and Abdul-Jabbar as the only Bucks players to score 2,000 points in a season, which he did this year.
Whenever your name is being mentioned in the same breath as Kareem, you know you’re doing something right.
9. He’s Under Contract Through 2021
Antetokounmpo won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. In 2016, Antetokounmpo agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract extension that would keep him in Milwaukee through 2021. The extension is backloaded, and pays him about $22.5 million this year, with salaries rising to $27.5 million in 2021. Given how well Antetokounmpo has played over the last two seasons, it’s looking like that contract is making him a $100 million bargain—especially considering the ludicrous contracts that many lackluster free agents receive.
10. He Likes Playing in a Small Market
While many other stars ditch small markets in favor of big cities and better weather, you don’t get that sort of feeling from Antetokounmpo.
“I’m a guy who doesn’t really care about glamour and big markets, I like to be home all day,” he said in a 2015 blog post on Eurohoops.net. “I get up in the morning, I take a shower and I go to practice. When I’m finished, the only thing that’s on my mind is to go back home and spend time with my family. I usually feel that I prefer to hide from people.”
In addition to that post, Antetokounmpo has frequently voiced his desire to stay with the Bucks.
The tricky part to keeping him on the Bucks might be other NBA superstars. Playing in Milwaukee isn’t exactly an easy sell to free agents, and Antetokounmpo would presumably have no shortage of sales pitches from other superstars looking to recruit him. But for now, his desire to play for the team that drafted him is refreshing in an era defined by ring-chasing free agents.
11. He Knew Literally Nothing About Milwaukee
The first time Antetokounmpo ever set foot in the U.S. was for the NBA Draft. And when he found out he was selected by the Bucks, he went in with a clean slate — he knew literally nothing about the city. Not the size, location, weather, or the team he was about to play for. Nothing.
When you’re going to the Bucks, maybe ignorance is bliss.
When he came to America, he also didn’t know how to drive or use a bank account. Getting acclimated definitely took a lot of learning, but it’s safe to say he’s done a pretty solid job here so far.
12. He’ll Posterize You…But Politely
After the Greek Freak literally jumped over 6’6” Tim Hardaway Jr. for a ferocious dunk, the Bucks figured they’d make some money off of it, and began selling t-shirts with an image of the posterization on them.
But Antetokounmpo is no sore winner. In fact, he’s the consummate sportsman. He said that selling the shirts wasn’t the right thing to do, because he didn’t want to embarrass Hardaway. At his request, images of the shirt were quickly scrubbed from the Bucks’ Twitter account.
NBA players should rest easily every time Antetokounmpo wrecks them, because at least he won’t rub it in.
13. He was Recently Profiled on “60 Minutes”
Antetokounmpo was recently the subject of a “60 Minutes” story, which is definitely worth a watch—despite the fact that Antetokounmpo said he had never heard of the show before he was on it.
The profile details his childhood, growing up in poverty in Athens. Antetokounmpo said that he used to sell glasses, DVDs, and bags in the street as a child. It also touches on his improbable rise to the NBA ranks, his adjustment to American life, and how he is currently coping with the death of his father, who passed away suddenly last year. It portrays him in full, from his assertive dunks on the court to his family-focused life off of it.
If you’re not a fan yet, his story will make you one.
14. Kobe’s a Fan
As part of his “Mamba Mentality” promotion with Nike, Kobe Bryant tweeted out challenges for several of his Nike teammates this season. For Antetokounmpo, the challenge was kind of tough:
This just goes to show how much Mamba respects the Greek Freak. Antetokounmpo also said that he hopes to work out with Kobe in the future, which would provide for a truly legendary workout.
15. His Brothers Ball, Too
Antetokounmpo is very close with his family: His mother and his younger brothers all live with him, and he admittedly eschews many of the excesses of professional athlete life to spend time with them. He’s the third of five brothers, many of whom are also high-achieving basketball players.
His older brother, Thanasis, was drafted 51st overall by the Knicks in 2014, and he’s currently an All-Star in the Greek league following a cup of coffee in the NBA. His younger brother, Kostas, is currently playing D-1 ball for the University of Dayton. He averaged 5.2 points per game as a freshman this season. And his youngest brother, Alexis, is currently playing high school ball. The Antetokounmpo family is genetically gifted like few other families in history have been—Giannis might not be the only Antetokounmpo to have a long NBA career.