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GreekReporter.comGreeceAlex Antetokounmpo, Youngest Brother of Giannis, Applies for Greek Citizenship

Alex Antetokounmpo, Youngest Brother of Giannis, Applies for Greek Citizenship

Alex Antetokounmpo
Alex Antetokounmpo at Zografou’s town hall. Credit: Zografou Municipality

Alexandros, or Alex, Antetokounmpo, the youngest brother of famed NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo, submitted a formal application for Greek citizenship in Athens on Tuesday.

Although born in Greece, 19-year-old Antetokounmpo does not yet hold Greek citizenship, due to the country’s notoriously restrictive requirements for becoming a citizen.

Antetokounmpo, a basketball star in his own right, is the youngest son of Nigerian parents who left Nigeria for Greece in order to make a better life for their children.

All of Alex’s siblings are also star athletes — along with Giannis, known as the “Greek Freak,” Alex has two brothers, Thanasis and Kostas, who also play for the NBA.

As the young basketballer is immersed in the Greek language and culture, it may come as a surprise to many that he is not yet a Greek citizen.

Yet, since his parents are not Greek, but Nigerian, and came to Greece illegally, Alex had to apply to become an official Greek citizen at a government office in the Athenian neighborhood of Zografou.

Alex currently plays basketball professionally for the Spanish team UCAM Murcia. Much like his brothers, Antetokounmpo is an amazing talent at the sport, and signed a three-year contract with the team when he was just 17 years old.

UCAM Murcia is a professional basketball team based in Murcia, Spain, playing its home games at Palacio de Deportes. Murcia plays in the Liga ACB, which is one of the top professional basketball divisions in Spain and considered to be one of the best in the world.

Although he’s now a pro in European basketball, the young athlete spent many years in Wisconsin, where he moved with his family to attend high school in 2013.

Upon moving to the US, Antetokounmpo did not speak any English, but he has since mastered the language.

Despite spending his formative years in the US, Antetokounmpo has always felt a deep connection to his native land and culture, always considering himself a Greek.

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