Page 8 - My FlipBook

BASKETBALL’S NEW WAVE

It wasn’t just his good basketball that made

Antetokounmpo popular in Milwaukee. While many
NBA players travel elsewhere during their summers
to do their training, he spent his time in the city,
where fans would see him visiting some of the same
restaurants and stores that they did.

The journey that landed Antetokounmpo in
Wisconsin was a long one. His parents moved from
Nigeria to Greece, and Antetokounmpo has citizenship

in both countries. His family was poor, but that would
eventually change because of Giannis’s basketball
career.
Basketball is very popular in Greece, a country that
has produced many players who became well known

in Europe. When Greece beat the United States—a
US team that included LeBron James, Dwyane Wade,
Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony—in the semifinals

of the 2006 world basketball championships, fans in
Greece honked their horns and jumped out of their
cars to celebrate in the streets.
Like many Greek players, Antetokounmpo started
his career playing in that country’s leagues and for its

national team. He played in the Greek League All-Star
Game in 2013 and also competed for Greece in the

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