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$70M Giannis Antetokounmpo announced he and his brothers will represent Greece and left Nigerian National Basketball Team in dismay

Akash Murty
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$70M Giannis Antetokounmpo announced he and his brothers will represent Greece and left Nigerian National Basketball Team in dismay

Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brothers will be representing the Greece National Team despite his love and pride for Nigeria.

Many European players have starred in the NBA from Spain, Germany, and France, but none from Greece. And nobody quite like Antetokounmpo.

Born and brought up in Athens by Nigerian immigrant parents, the 6-foot-11, slander 18-year-old came into the NBA in 2013 as the 15th pick. Having already played in the professional league for 2-years, he was already in a steep developmental phase of his career.

Within 8 years that slim near 7-footer guy is one of the dominant players in the league, arguably The most dominant currently. He has won the most accolades there are to win for an NBA player and is already one of the NBA’s Top-75 players of all time.

But there is still something that might reflect on his legacy when it’s all said and done and it must be bothering him now.

Also read: 6’3″ Stephen Curry shockingly nails water cup out Draymond Green’s hand with behind the back shot

 

Giannis Antetokounmpo representing Greece has broken hearts in Nigera

The 2x MVP grew up in Greek culture learning the language, going to school and eventually starting to play basketball at age 7. But when he was home with his family, he learned and lived the Nigerian way. A strong supporter of his mother nation, Giannis never forgets to mention his Nigerian roots.

“I grew up in a Nigerian home,” Antetokounmpo said. “Obviously, I was born in Greece and went to school in Greece. But at the end of the day when I go home, there is no Greek culture. It’s straight-up Nigerian culture. It’s about discipline, it’s about respecting your elders, having morals.”

“There are a lot of people that I see and I tell them that I am African. I am not just ‘The Greek Freak,’ ” Antetokounmpo said back in 2019.

But still, the $93 million worth Antetokounmpo brothers will be representing the Greece National basketball team as it stands.

And the Nigerian National team is not very happy about it.

Let’s hope the Bucks superstar has a proper explanation for this decision, otherwise, it is not going to sit well with Nigeria if in future he mentions them in some interview.

Also read: “The King is still the King, B*tch!”: Rihanna stood up for LeBron James after Kevin Durant and Warriors beat them in Game 1 of 2017 NBA Finals

About the author

Akash Murty

Akash Murty

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An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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