15 years ago, Giannis was homeless in Greece, was in constant fear of deportation and racist retaliation, and didn’t play basketball. Against all odds, Giannis has already carved out a better life for his family. Now, after scoring 40 points in game 7, he has a chance at basketball immortality
Giannis is the son of Nigerian immigrants that came to Greece in search of a better life. In reality, their life would be exceedingly difficult; they were homeless, they struggled to find work, and they were constantly in fear of deportation as they were unable to acquire full Greek citizenship. They had four children to feed, and often there was not enough to go around. In the worst of times, Giannis and his family would go two or three days without eating.
At 13, Giannis, rail-thin and with no basketball experience, was discovered by a (previously) failed basketball scout. After the scout promised to secure Giannis’ parents with employment, Giannis began playing for a local club and improving his skills.
Even in this time, Giannis’ family did not have resources, and it was people like cafe owner Giannis Tzikas, who used to give the family sandwiches for free, that kept them afloat. In the words of Tzikas, some people asked, “why are you feeding the black kids”, but that this only made him more determined to help.
By 2012, Giannis had somehow managed to become an exciting prospect in Greece’s basketball second division, which initially was too obscure of a location to be noticed by many NBA scouts. However, he was noticed by Real Zaragoza in Spain, who offered him 400,000 euros a year to play for them. Giannis was indescribably excited, saying “I’ll bring my family along with me and I’ll buy a car”.
Shortly afterwards, Giannis began to be hyped up by NBA scouts; he was the 2013 draft’s most exciting unknown. With the 15th pick, the Bucks took a chance on him, and the rest is history.
In Giannis’ rookie season, then teammate Brandon Knight described Giannis regularly carrying six or seven boxes of free food home from the players lounge. When Caron Butler casually threw away a pair of shoes, Giannis, who had grown up sharing one pair with now teammate Thanasis, pulled them out of the garbage, shocked that someone would just throw away such good shoes.
Even now, after signing the biggest contract in league history, Giannis has not forgotten his roots. He regularly gives his money and his time to help homeless people in Milwaukee, and has never forgotten to give back in spreading sheer kindness and joy.
Winning a championship in a market that doesn’t attract superstars is a difficult feat, but Giannis’ story shows that he has already done the hard part. Back in 2014, the fresh-faced, 195 pound, 19-year-old Giannis was asked, “So you got a job, a place to live, what’s next”? Giannis responded, somewhat jokingly, “Nothing. Just win a ring now”. After accomplishing everything else, this year might just be his chance.
[link] [comments]
Leave Comments
Post a Comment