Giannis Antetokounmpo: The Pride Of Greece

In the toughest of times for Greece, Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s journey has been a source of great pride to his fellow countrymen around the world.

Editor’s note: The following is a guest post from George Kondoleon. George (or @georgeythegreek) is a good friend of the site and an editor over at Section 215. He is incredibly proud of his Greek heritage and identity, and as an avid basketball fan, he’s here to share the Greek context of Giannis’ journey with all of you in this very personal piece. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did.

Giannis Antetokounmpo. It’s a name that has become more familiar in the NBA as of late. Even more recognizable is his nickname: “The Greek Freak”.

That nickname originally came about mostly because of his freakish length, size and ability, but it has started to mean more to those who share his heritage. Antetokoumpo has begun to make his mark in the NBA, but it has been resonating in the hearts of Greeks and Greek-Americans for quite some time now.

2012

In 2012, Greek basketball fans were excited to learn that a teenager with incredible size and skill had gotten the call to join his club’s senior squad. Antetokounmpo soon made his debut for Filathlitikos, a team in the second division of the Greek league.

He wasn’t just making his mark at club level though. Antetokounmpo was also making waves on the international stage with the U20 Greek national team. It would be in this setting that he’d start to come to the attention of many across Greece and around the world.

In fact, my own first exposure to Antetokounmpo’s potential came in a U20 game against Germany’s team the following summer. Antetokounmpo scored 20 points, 12 of them coming from beyond the three-point line. What many had perceived as his weaknesses, Antetokounmpo showed as strengths on that day.

It was a perfect first glimpse at what was to come, and excitement started to spread.

Greek-Americans were telling all their friends about this kid who should be a top five pick in the NBA draft. My unknowing friends laughed thinking about an unknown player being selected in the top five over guys like Victor Oladipo, Alex Len, Nerlens Noel, and Michael Carter-Williams.

They also laughed because they knew how Greeks viewed themselves. Much like many other nationalities, Greeks view their homeland as the best country around. A Greek saying this guy should be a top five pick seemed to many like the type of national pride and self-promotion that needed to be taken with a pinch of salt.

In that same year when Giannis started his rise to prominence, Greece was going through an important political election process. A bailout two years prior sparked a severe economic recession, leaving thousands out of work and uncertain about their futures.

Without losing ourselves in the politics of the situation, it’s important to cite this time because of the mindset of Greeks and Greek-Americans. Greeks are proud of their country, history, culture, and hospitality towards others. As a result, they viewed the bailout as a handout and a sign of weakness. Rightly or wrongly, a cloud of shame was looming over the nation.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was trying to make his name known in a time of internal national strife.

The Draft

Every NBA Draft was important to my brother and I. We’d make our own mock drafts and see how close we were. We’d always go crazy when Greeks, in particular, would get drafted. Guys like Kosta Koufos, Nick Calathes, and Kostas Papanikolaou meant to world to us. The year Antetokounmpo, was to be drafted, we were ready to go crazy once again.

The 2013 NBA Draft was a huge event in my household, or at least that’s how it seemed. Friends, cousins, uncles, aunts, all filed into my family’s Pennsylvania home for a separate family event, but once I started spreading the story of Giannis Antetokounmpo and his potential to be one of the NBA’s top players (again, more bias than actual knowledge), the event geared towards the television screen.

The first pick in the draft was Anthony Bennett, selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers. I knew Antetokounmpo wouldn’t be considered for the top two or three picks. Oladipo and Otto Porter Jr. followed Bennett in the 2013 draft. “Number five”, I thought, “that’s where he’ll get picked.” I knew Cody Zeller was coming off of a good season at Indiana and his selection at number four by the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) seemed inevitable. It felt like there was no way Antetokounmpo wouldn’t be next though.

Boy was I wrong.

Antetokounmpo didn’t go top five, in fact he didn’t go top 10. My brother and I’s excitement level rose to the extreme when our favorite team, the Philadelphia 76ers, were on the clock with Antetokounmpo still on the board.

“This is it, they’re going to do it!”

Alas, the Sixers took Michael Carter-Williams. Little did I know then just how connected to Antetokounmpo he would end up being.

Finally, with the 15th pick in the draft, the Milwaukee Bucks selected Antetokounmpo. Our Sixers sadness turned to Greek excitement as David Stern called out his name four picks later.

His entrance to the stage on draft night is still one of the most iconic images to Greek basketball fans. The camera cut to him and his family. His brother Thanasis waved the Greek flag, beautifully encased in blue and white, stretched out next to the new face of Greek basketball.

That moment is our Iverson step-over, our Jordan free throw line dunk, and our trophy raising.

I couldn’t hold back my smile while watching Antetokounmpo stand next to the flag then shake hands with former NBA Commissioner David Stern.

The Greek kid made it. He did it for all of us.

My mother cried when he held up the flag. That might seem extreme in many ways, but it’s not.

My mother sits and watches the Greek news whenever she can. From 2010-2014, the Greek news was filled with videos of riots, protests, and even cases of disgusting hate crimes due to the rise of the Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party in parliament.

The pride we had for Greece was still there, but it had weakened. My mother cried happily because she felt the pride for her beloved Greece swell as the whole United States was exposed to the image of the Greek flag. She, like many others, felt like Greece was strong again, all thanks to one small moment from a teenage kid.

It was more than just basketball for Greeks and Antetokounmpo. I wanted him to go in the top five, or I wanted my team to draft him, not because of basketball skills, but because the internal pride it gives us to see one of our kind make their dreams come true.

The pain caused by calls from our family members struggling to find work and money was somewhat eased as we watched Antetokounmpo’s big moment.

First Two Seasons

Greeks everywhere followed Antetokounmpo’s rookie season closely. Every Greek news station in the country covered the rookie’s first game. Giannis Antetokounmpo played just over four minutes against the New York Knicks, he scored a single point and didn’t attempt a field goal.

Was I disappointed? Yeah, of course. Every Greek NBA fan was. We wanted him to excel right away.

That didn’t happen in his rookie season. Although his outside shooting was respectable, Antetokounmpo really struggled with understanding and adapting to the NBA game. It was to be expected, I suppose. Nonetheless, Antetokounmpo finished off his first season, and Greeks were proud.

Antetokounmpo also did a lot of interviews and videos with the Bucks throughout his rookie season.

We’d see him talk about tasting smoothies and making pizza. Seeing Antetokounmpo doing every day activities, and getting involved with his community, made him even more relatable for Greeks around the world.

In his next season, he showed major improvement. There was more commotion surrounding the “Greek Freak”, and everyone was searching for tickets to see him, including me. That season I had taken my Greek flag and my Greek friends to see Nick Calathes, Kosta Koufos, and the Grizzlies take on the Sixers, and I couldn’t finish the season without seeing Greece’s most promising prospect.

Late in the 2014-2015 season, the Sixers hosted a “Greek Night” on the day the Milwaukee Bucks came to town. As I walked into the Wells Fargo Center I was astonished by how quickly Antetokounmpo had become a prominent figure in Greek culture. There were Antetokounmpo jerseys, both Bucks and Greece, everywhere.

I made my way to the front row with my little brother to get a chance to meet Antetokounmpo before the game. Next to me were around 20 Greeks all fighting for positioning to meet their hero. It was around the time of Greek Easter, and two gentlemen next to me brought in a bag of Greek desserts and a couple of hard-boiled so that Giannis and him could crack the eggs, as it’s a Greek tradition on Easter.

“I love this kid” the gentleman said, “my mom made him dessert and told me to do my all to try and get it to him.” This is when it became clear that Giannis Antetokounmpo was quickly becoming Greece’s LeBron James.

Around that same time, the country of Greece was struggling more than ever, and a young politician named Alexis Tsipras was making waves.

Much like Antetokounmpo, the young Tsipras gave Greek citizens hope, whether it was false or not, citizens believed in him. They believed in Tsipras enough to make him Prime Minister in 2015.

2015-16 Season

2015 was a tough year for Greece. Tsipras let the country go bankrupt, closing all the banks in the country and only allowing a rationed amount of money to be taken out of ATMs. People who worked hard throughout their entire lives faced the prospect of losing everything they’d worked for.

The decision made by the government to refuse another bailout threatened Greece to be thrown out of the European Union. This led to a series of events, including Tsipras stepping down from office, only to reclaim months later. Later on in the year, Greece faced an influx of Syrian refugees trying to escape their war-torn areas.

These events added to Greece’s struggles, and it continued to take a toll on Greeks and Greek-Americans.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 2015-16 season has been magical. This has certainly been his breakout year, as he has started to get recognition across the league and slowly climb closer towards that top tier of players.

Antetokounmpo’s scoring has increased by 4.1 ppg since last season, and his 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists showcase his well-rounded game. His triple-double outburst in the latter half of this year has been historic, and he has shot up to be viewed, almost by consensus, as the most promising player not named Karl Anthony-Towns.

The Torch Is Passed

If we were to redraft the same 2013 NBA Draft today, Antetokounmpo would undoubtedly be the consensus top pick.

His success this season has meant wonders for Greeks. The Greek news is still filled with struggles of people who have lost everything, political instability, and sometimes-inhumane debates on how to handle the recession.

Thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo, there are breaks in between where Greeks can watch highlights of his triple-double, his nasty dunk, or anything else he does the previous night. It’s a small relief from a big situation, but it helps.

Greeks will be seeing his face more this summer, as the Greek Olympic Basketball team is still fighting for qualification. With the past generation out, Greek basketball is looking more promising than ever. Dinos Mitoglou (Wake Forest), Georgios Papagiannis (Panathinaikos), and Giannis brothers’ Kostas Antetokounmpo, and Thanasis Antetokounmpo will all be led by one person.

A boy who just recently matured as a basketball player.

A 21-year old star.

A Greek hero.

Giannis Antetokounmpo.

It’s about more than just basketball, it’s pride. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been the bright light in dark days for a country that prides itself on independence and strength. Greeks will always promote Antetokounmpo.

We’ve had great players, but not guys who could influence a whole nation in the way he has. He’s our superstar. Antetokounmpo is already becoming the most iconic Greek basketball player ever, and he’s just getting started.

So, NBA fans, keep sharing vines of Antetokounmpo’s freaky looking “Gyro Step”. Keep tweeting about “The Greek Freak”. Keep making cheesy Greek-related puns.

We love it.

We want it.

Next: Milwaukee Bucks’ Future Lies In Paving A Path Away From The Pack

Giannis “Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo is our escape from the real world, and we want to show him off to the rest of you.

Σας ευχαριστώ Γιάννη (Thank you, Giannis).