f he didn’t happen to be 6’11” tall and freakishly talented on the basketball court, Giannis Antetokounmpo may just have explored an alternative career in comedy. The ‘Greek Freak’ is known for his playful side, pranking teammates and opponents alike, and messing with fans.
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But he reserves something special when his wife Mariah Riddlesprigger is involved. Giannis is not shy when it comes to showing his wife love — and often throws in a touch of humor into the mix. The 30-year-old has gone viral for his playful antics off the court more than a few times throughout his career.
This time, the nine-time All-Star was able to take advantage of a hit song to show how much he loves the mother of his three kids. In a recent clip, the two-time MVP was shown singing Drake’s latest song “Nokia”, but with an added twist especially for his life partner.
While singing the opening of the song, Giannis conveniently replaced one of the four names in the song with Mariah, his wife’s name. “Is it Stacy? Is it Keisha? Is it Tracy? Is it Mariah?” , he crooned. The Bucks superstar may not have exactly nailed the rendition but was able to manage something he clearly values more highly — getting a laugh out of his wife!
Antetokounmpo’s choice to use a Drake song is an interesting one, though. The pair have had a love-hate relationship dating back to the Bucks’ hotly contested playoff matchups against the Toronto Raptors. However, the pair of megastars did collaborate before for one of Drake’s recent albums.
Drake’s shoutout to Giannis led to more attention than expected
Drake mentioned Giannis during one of his songs on “Certified Lover Boy.” “Could at least keep it a Buck like Antetokounmpo,” he rapped on the song “7 AM on Bridle Path”. The reference caught the attention of Milwaukee fans, as the Toronto native had never been known to talk about anything Bucks before becoming the fanbase’s top enemy during the 2019 Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Drake and Giannis took advantage of the hype, turning one phrase from one of his lesser-discussed songs into an addition to his clothing shop. The pair collaborated on a shirt with “I Need a Freak” printed across a Nike logo. The shirt also includes “Certified Lover Boy” in smaller print near the bottom.
The Canadian rapper likely won’t win a popularity contest with Milwaukee fans. But it makes it much more difficult to hate him when he’s working alongside your franchise’s centerpiece and all-time great. The teams haven’t faced in the playoff again since Toronto’s entertaining six-game victory over the Bucks in 2019, so it’s also possible tensions have died down in recent years.
