According to a new book, Giannis Antetokounmpo used to be so impoverished that he had to split a pair of basketball sneakers with his older brother when he was younger.
The athlete’s parents couldn’t afford two pairs of footwear, so he had to wait for his sibling Thanasis to complete playing before he could wear his size 15 sneakers.
The seven-member family battled to make ends meet and was hungry so frequently that Giannis fell while training on an empty stomach.
His impoverished roots are now a long cry from his current lifestyle as the top player of the Milwaukee Bucks, whom he helped lead to their first NBA championship in May since 1971.
The poverty to riches story is told in author Mirin Fader’s new biography, Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP, which was released on Tuesday.
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Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was voted MVP two years in a row, a feat only legends like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James had achieved before the age of 26, his current age
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The child of Nigerian immigrants, Giannis grew up in extreme poverty in Greece where his family could hardly afford to eat
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Giannis (pictured center with his mom and brother) was born three years after his parents immigrated to Greece and by the age of six he was helping his mother Veronica sell purses on the street
Giannis was a 15th round pick when he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, beating the Atlanta Hawks who planned to choose him soon afterwards
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After the draft, Giannis’s biggest problem was fitting in with his new teammates who brutally hazed their 19-year-old rookie
But even training became a challenge because he was missing meals and not getting proper nourishment.
During one session, Giannis began ‘gasping for air’ because he was so weak and ‘could not go on any more,’ and eventually collapsed, Fader writes.
His teammates would later learn that he hadn’t eaten anything all day and constantly offered him food after the incident.
Giannis shared a pair of sneakers with his brother Thanasis who would hand them over after his game so Giannis could play right after.
However, the family’s low socioeconomic status was not the only barrier they faced in society.
Giannis’s younger brother Alex said that growing up black in a mostly white country, they always felt they were ‘outsiders.’
That was especially the case when it came to race, and Giannis was called ‘blackie’ by people in the street who told him to ‘go back to your country.’
One of Giannis’s teammates, Rahman Rana, whose family is from Pakistan, recalled: ‘People really treated him badly.
‘We were treated as second-class citizens.’
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Growing up with four siblings, Giannis had to share a pair of sneakers with older brother Thanasis who would hand them over after his game so Giannis could play basketball right after
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A former teammate revealed Giannis and his family were treated as second-class citizens in Greece. Now, the family is reaping the rewards of his success
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The book revealed that the family always felt like ‘outsiders’ while growing up black in a mostly white country. Pictured: Giannis and his mother in Athens
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Giannis shares a son with girlfriend Mariah (pictured). In May, they announced they were expecting their second child
But without Greek citizenship he couldn’t travel by plane and couldn’t play for the Greek first division, so he was stuck in the semi-pro second league.
By 2012, Giannis had gotten himself an agent, but when he went for a physical exam, the doctor was stunned to see his liver looked like it belonged to a 70-year-old alcoholic.
The doctor advised Giannis to start eating more and nourishing his body with healthy food to take the strain off his body.
Rumors of a talented but raw teenager would soon reach NBA scouts who began to take an interest in the 16-year-old Giannis.
They made the trek to the grimy gym in Zografou, where dozens of NBA scouts sat with clipboards having arrived in limousines.
With interest from the US, Greek authorities came under intense pressure to give Giannis citizenship so that he could potentially move to the US.
Fader writes scathingly that it was only after Giannis attracted interest from basketball clubs and only after his family approached the Nigerian embassy in Greece did they speed up the process.
Giannis finally got his passport in May 2013, but now he faced the daunting prospect of the NBA draft.
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It was only until US professional leagues began showing interest in Giannis, that the Greek government finally gave him citizenship and a passport
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The book revealed that the family always felt like ‘outsiders’ while growing up black in a mostly white country. Pictured: Giannis and his mother in Athens
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Giannis shares a son with girlfriend Mariah (pictured). In May, they announced they were expecting their second child
He couldn’t travel by plane and couldn’t play in the Greek first division because he didn’t have Greek citizenship, thus he was locked in the semi-pro second league.
Giannis had signed with an agency by 2012, but when he went in for a physical, the doctor was astounded to observe that his liver looked like it belonged to a 70-year-old alcoholic.
To relieve the burden on his body, the doctor suggested Giannis to start eating more and replenishing it with good foods.
Rumors of a skilled but raw youth quickly reached NBA scouts, who became interested in the 16-year-old Giannis.
They made their way to Zografou’s dirty gym, where scores of NBA scouts sat with clipboards, having come in limos.
With US interest, Greek authorities were put under strong pressure to grant Giannis citizenship so that he could perhaps go to the US.
Fader writes scathingly that the procedure was sped up only after Giannis drew attention from basketball clubs and his family sought the Nigerian embassy in Greece.
Giannis finally received his passport in May 2013, but the NBA draft loomed ahead of him.
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It was only until US professional leagues began showing interest in Giannis, that the Greek government finally gave him citizenship and a passport