With only several days left for the international release of his biopic, Nigerian-Greek NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo posed for a photograph holding his two sons during their visit to the Acropolis of Athens this weekend.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ all-time best scorer is enjoying his vacation in Greece since his team’s playoffs season ended early after they lost game seven with the Boston Celtics.
“Our annual Akropolis visit”, he captioned his father-and-sons photo on Instagram. His oldest son is now two years old while the youngest will celebrate his first birthday in August.
The family will be spending their Greek holiday in the Peloponnese, where Giannis has bought two Costa Navarino Residences.
Antetokounmpo film to be released in June
Rise, the Walt Disney Studios’ biographical sports-drama film inspired by the Antetokounmpo brothers’ ascent, will be released later this month exclusively through streaming on Disney+ on June 24, 2022.
The anticipated biopic, directed by Akin Omotoso from a script written by Arash Amel, portrays the three brothers’ early life and experiences in Greece and the flourishing of their basketball careers in the NBA.
It stars newcomers Uche Agada, Ral Agada, and Jaden Osimuwa in the three primary roles and Elijah Shomanke, Yetide Badaki, and Dayo Okeniyi in supporting family roles.
Giannis Antetokounmpo himself served as executive producer alongside Douglas S. Jones.
“Audiences have never seen a story like that of the Antetokounmpos. After emigrating from Nigeria to Greece, [parents] Charles and Vera Antetokounmpo struggled to survive and provide for their five children, while living under the daily threat of deportation,” reads the film summary.
With their oldest son still in Nigeria with relatives, the couple were desperate to obtain Greek citizenship but found themselves undermined by a system that blocked them at every turn, it explains.
“When they weren’t selling items to tourists on the streets of Athens with the rest of the family, the brothers Giannis and Thanasis would play basketball with a local youth team. Latecomers to the sport, they discovered their great abilities on the basketball court and worked hard to become world class athletes, along with brother, Kostas,” Disney+ adds.
With the help of an agent, Giannis eventually entered the NBA Draft in 2013, thus changing not only his own life but that of his entire family.
Last season, Giannis and Thanasis helped bring the Milwaukee Bucks their first championship ring in fifty years while Kostas played for the previous season champs, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Greek Freak expected to play for Greece in Eurobasket
Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly expected to play for Greece in the 2022 Eurobasket, as the national basketball team’s manager Nikos Zisis told pubcaster ERT last week.
The NBA MVP first played for the senior men’s Greek national basketball team in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He joined the Greek national team again for EuroBasket 2015 and the 2016 Turin FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
He then played with Greece during their preparation phase for the EuroBasket 2017 but missed the tournament due to an injury. Most recently, Giannis Antetokounmpo represented Greece at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
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