Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is an NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, eight-time All-Star and NBA Finals MVP. At the core of it all, he is someone who is afraid that what he has today could be taken away tomorrow, which is perfectly evident in Amazon Prime’s “Giannis: The Marvelous Journey.” It is produced by Kristen Lappas. The documentary follows Giannis’ biographical sports drama, “Rise,” based on the true story of him and his brothers Thanasis and Kostas. The latest one doesn’t necessarily portray him as the athlete the NBA world knows him as today. “The Greek Freak” is portrayed as a man who battled racism, competition, poverty and grief to become one of the most brilliant players in basketball history.
The family lived in a two-bedroom condo
As an alternative, Giannis Antetokounmpo earns enough for himself to live a comfortable life. For a family that lived out of fear and sold things on the street, humility was on full display when the Bucks forward asked his parents to come live in Milwaukee. Although they had the means to live a better life, the close relationship meant they would all live in a two-bedroom condo, with Giannis sleeping in the living room.
The phrase “Kolos Kai Vraki”
In a segment on “Giannis,” Kostas Antetokounmpo explains what the phrase ‘Kolos Kai Vraki’ means in Greek: connected like underwear and butts” when describing the chemistry between the brothers. During the Antetokounmpo brothers’ time playing for Greece, what stood out the most was their impeccable communication, which helped them become a force to be reckoned with.
Almost wore his shorts to the NBA Draft
When the Bucks saw what Antetokounmpo was capable of, they took a risk drafting him and he was destined to have great success in the coming years. As for Giannis, who never watched the NBA outside of the internet cafe where he and his brother watched highlights of games, he had no idea what he would have to wear for the draft. The day before the event, Giannis was asked what he would wear, to which he immediately replied: “I have my Nike shorts.” This meant that his agent, Giorgos Panou, fixed him up and Thanasis Antetokounmpo fitted him with a suit.
Relationship with his fiancee
The documentary throws ample light on his relationship with his fiancee, Mariah Riddlesprigger. With the core message being family, in one example, she recounts how Giannis introduced her to his folks when they visited Miami. Through her confession, there arose a new respect for the Milwaukee mainstay, who kept it real by introducing him to a family. The pair have always been private about their personal lives, so this story tells how their romance blossomed.
The Deal
Divided into three acts, the second half of the film explores how loyalty to Antetokounmpo was two-sided. This meant that he would not be a big name signing with a big franchise. When it came to making a decision about his future with the Bucks in 2020, there was no doubt that Giannis would reach a deal with the franchise: Basketball for me is more than just business and people can say that’s a flaw that I have.”
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