Antetokounmpo Brothers Share Same Court: My Favorite NBA Moment, Says Giannis

Giannis Antetokounmpo was full of emotion as two of his brothers appeared on the same court with him in the Bucks-Lakers game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Giannis, Thanasis and Kostas Antetokounmpo became the second-ever brother trio to appear in an NBA game, which the visitors won 112-97.

“Just being on the same court while our mom is having her phone and videotaping the whole thing. I think it’s priceless,” Giannis said postgame.

Antetokounmpo brothers sharing a moment. 💚💛💚 pic.twitter.com/4ML4aAoMOR

— NBA (@NBA) April 1, 2021

Giannis, who has won the last two MVPs and multiple other accolades through his eight seasons in the league, called this moment his favorite in the league.

“This moment, just seeing the guys that I grew up with and we slept in the same bed and we were looking at the ceiling and imagining if we were ever going to play in the NBA, if we ever were going to make it,” he said.

“This moment today was probably my favorite moment I’ve had so far in the NBA.” pic.twitter.com/nakDAxak9Z

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 1, 2021

Giannis Antetokounmpo finished the game with 25 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals while the eldest among the trio, Thanasis, finished with eight points, two steals and a rebound.

Antetokounmpo brothers born and raised in Greece

The three brothers, born in Athens, Greece, the sons of illegal immigrants from Nigeria, did not automatically receive full Greek citizenship.

After gaining Greek citizenship in 2013, the family Hellenized their surname from Adetokunbo to Antetokounmpo to more closely follow Greek spelling rules.

The Antetokounmpo brothers grew up in the Athens neighborhood of Sepolia.

Their parents, as immigrants, could not easily find work, so Giannis Antetokounmpo and his older brother, Thanasis, helped by hawking watches, handbags and sunglasses in the streets.

In 2007, Giannis started playing basketball, and was playing competitively for the youth squad of Filathlitikos by 2009.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo was named to the senior Nigerian men’s national team training camp preliminary list for the 2016 Rio Olympics. He declined the offer, choosing instead to play with the senior Greek national team.

Kostas Antetokounmpo is a younger brother of basketball players Giannis and Thanasis, and the older brother of Alex.

Here’s one the best, and most rarely seen, personal speeches the Greek Freak has given, talking about his family’s struggle and what it took for him to survive until he was drafted into the NBA.

“People ask me, how do you play so well in the NBA? I was watching everyday two people, my parents, working so hard just to put food on the table. There were days that they wouldn’t eat, so we can eat.”