“Giannis Antetokounmpo almost left the NBA after his family’s visa application was rejected!”: When the Bucks superstar almost left the NBA due to USA’s three-strike rule 

Jeet Pukhrambam | 07/06/2022
Giannis Antetokounmpo almost decided to leave the NBA. As his family's visa application was denied for the second time! 

Giannis Antetokounmpo almost decided to leave the NBA. As his family’s visa application was denied for the second time! 

The Greek Freak as we know him today is one of the NBA’s best athletes. To be fair, he might just be the best player on the planet as of this moment.

But, there was a time when all of this could have gone away. In a mere second. The lack of one stamp on a piece of paper could have derailed Giannis’ entire career and legacy.

Yes, Giannis wanted to leave the NBA at one point in his career, presumably during his rookie season. But why? Because his family was denied entry to the United States of America.

Also read: “Giannis Antetokounmpo made Rachel Nichols’ hands look like a baby’s hands!”: ‘Greek Freak’ has the 3rd largest hands in NBA History, ahead of Kawhi Leonard and Michael Jordan

A scared Giannis was tired of the visa rejections, he wanted to leave the NBA

The United States has a three-strike rule. If your visa gets denied three times, you will not be allowed to enter the country. Ever.

The Antetokounmpo family was denied a US visa twice. They were just one denial away from never making it. Giannis was scared. He loves his family and he wouldn’t want to be without them.

He decided that if his family got denied entry, he would leave the NBA. Fortunately, for the NBA, Antetokounmpo’s agent made sure the visa got approved.

Giannis’ story is nothing short of spectacular. A young boy selling trinkets on the streets of Greece to the NBA’s best player, the journey was full of hardships.

Today, he earns over $40 million a year. His story is a salient reminder of why it is important to trust the process.

Also read: “Giannis Antetokounmpo used to pay $1 at the internet cafe to watch Allen Iverson highlights!”: ‘Greek Freak’ idolized ‘The Answer’ and used to spend his pocket money on his game footage

 

Post Edited By: Jeet Pukhrambam

About the author

Jeet Pukhrambam

Jeet Pukhrambam is The SportsRush's Lead Editor for Basketball. After freelancing for five years as an independent writer, Jeet created thousands of blog posts and articles. He now covers intriguing news reports and throwback stories on all things NBA. His interest in NBA started with the ascendancy of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2016-17 season. Since then, Jeet has managed to coalesce his knowledge of the game and his writing to create pieces that are reflective of the current state of the league. Now, he ensures that The SportsRush produces the highest quality of writing. In his free time, he enjoys playing football, cooking, traveling, and dancing to techno. Jeet takes pride in his critical thinking, music playlists, and his love for spaghetti.

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