“Giannis and his family nailed their lines and gave their characters a sense of authority”: When Bucks superstar starred in an Australian movie ‘Dead Europe’ before the NBA

Giannis and his family members once appeared in an Australian movie named ‘Dead Europe’ back when he was merely 16 years old. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most recognizable NBA superstars we have in today’s game. He is the reigning Finals MVP and has collected almost every single accolade the NBA has to offer. Everything from ‘Most Improved Player’ to ‘Most Valuable Player’, the ‘Greek Freak’ has done it all, all before turning 27. 

Of course, with such success in the NBA also comes several endorsements and brand deals. This includes a recent deal with WhatsApp along with many other such as 2K Sports, Tissot, and Nike. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Giannis on the silver screen either. 

LeBron James starred in Space Jam 2 and in a comedy alongside Bill Hader, Kevin Durant took his talents to ‘Thunderstruck’, Ray Allen played the iconic ‘Jesus Shuttlesworth’, and so many more.

Also read: ‘I got to dump you for supporting the Lakers’: When Giannis Antetokounmpo found out Mariah Riddlesrigger’s favorite team is the one LeBron James is on

However, back-tracking to the previous statement about how the Bucks legend could star in a movie any time now; it’s already happened. Surprisingly, it happened well before he made it to the NBA. 

Giannis starred in an Australian movie back in his teenage years. 

Giannis and his brothers, along with their parents, grew up in Greece for a majority of the former’s childhood. Their financial struggles have been well documented over the years and were heavily delved into in Mirin Fader’s excellent biography on his life.

Also read: “Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to run into your chest every f**king possession”: Kyle Kuzma hilariously tweets the difficulties of guarding The Greek Freak during the Bucks-Bulls clash

So, the reason for why Giannis decided to take a role in a movie is understandable as he and his mother, Veronica, did so to earn some extra cash on the side. The name of the movie is ‘Dead Europe’ and was released in 2012. 

The director, Tony Krawitz, said, “We were hoping to cast a family who could play refugees yet seem normal and open-hearted. They nailed their lines and gave their characters a sense of authority.” 

Even Kendrick Perkins reacted to this and said that Giannis was born to be a star.

Giannis was born to be a STAR!👌🏾 https://t.co/i1eabNsPkE

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) June 25, 2020