The Untold Truth Of Giannis Antetokounmpo

NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo is more than what meets the eye, which says a lot given the 6-foot-11 forward for the Milwaukee Bucks has a 7-foot-3 wingspan, 40-inch vertical, and 13 letters in his last name. Born and raised in Athens to Nigerian immigrants, the "Greek Freak," as he's been affectionately named, not only has an interesting background that's a mash-up of his Nigerian heritage (his mom, Veronica, is of the Igbo tribe while his late father, Charles, is Yoruba) against his Greek upbringing but, as a professional basketball player, Giannis has amassed milestones players twice his tenure have yet to accomplish (via The Washington Post).

Giannis is the first player in NBA history to finish a regular season in the top 20 in points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. In addition, Giannis has two MVP awards under the belt, taking the honor home in 2019 and 2020 — a feat that made him the only player, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James, to do so before turning 26. Lastly, Mr. Antetokounmpo is only the third player to win both NBA Defensive Player of the Year and an MVP in the same year, joining the great Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon.

A mouthful, no doubt. But believe it or not, there's more to unravel when it comes to the man who has seemingly done it all. So here's a deep dive into just what those things are. 

Giannis and his brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo served in the Greek military. Yup, that's right, according to Greek law: "Greek males between the ages of 19 and 45 are required by Greek law to perform military service." So they did, even while they both were in the NBA (Giannis was with the Bucks, who drafted him in 2013, and Thanasis, with the NBA D-League's Westchester Knicks franchise).

Luckily, according to Essentially Sports, they did not have to serve the mandatory three months like other citizens due to their NBA status and, instead, "trained with the army for a few days" before leaving to go back to their respective teams.

The few days the two athletes spent with the Greek army did not have much influence in their lives, but, ironically, the pair exude traits of discipline and stick-to-itiveness that not all players have. For example, you'll rarely see Giannis or Thanasis take a playoff, and it is they who are the first to dive onto the hardwood for a loose ball — the same type of "stay ready" principles the military instills. While they're not in the army now, should there be an all-out war and the Anteokounmpos choose to fight for Greece, there's probably not anyone who would be willing to face those super soldiers in combat.

There's one dish in particular — shockingly above the Funyans and Kool-Aid — that Giannis Antetokounmpo favors, and that's chicken nuggets. Now, before you shake your head, agreeing that you, too, have an affinity for the oh-so-scrumptious small, breaded, deep-fried pieces of deboned chicken meat, understand that it might not be on the same level as this superstar basketball player moonlighting as a food blogger.  

After winning the NBA Finals and beating the Phoenix Suns, where, in the close-out game six Antetokounmpo scored a mind-blowing 50 points, the champ didn't go to Ruth's Chris or Nobu; he didn't hit up the Soho House or an expensive Las Vegas penthouse spot; instead, that same night, Mr. Antetokounmpo went to Chick-fil-A to celebrate. 

Taking to Instagram Live to document his first post-championship meal, Antetokounmpo, accompanied by his partner Mariah Danae Riddlesprigger as well as the Finals MVP and Larry O'Brien trophy, went to the drive-through and ordered a 50-piece. That's right, a 50-piece. "I stole the trophy from the organization," he tells Instagram (via Twitter). "I don't know the consequences; do I get traded?" he said, before proceeding to order "not 51, not 49," nuggets from the drive through. While the order amount may seem ridiculous (and petty), it could genuinely be on par for the super athlete who is twice the size of the average male. Either way, the champ loves his chicken. 

Ever since Giannis Antetokounmpo was dubbed the "Greek Freak" due to his freakishly athletic build and on-court abilities, he's done nothing but embrace the term. Nowadays, you can catch Antetokounmpo adding variations of the nickname at the end of hashtags and referring to himself as "The Freak" on social media. They say, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," and Antetokounpo has taken that saying to heart when it comes to his nickname, as he's done nothing but double-down on the title as his status, profile, and superstardom have risen. The Greek athlete has even found a way to incorporate the name on the court, writing it out as "GREEK FR34K" to include his number 34 jersey number.

The basketball star has even gotten the name trademarked. According to intellectual property site Gerben, the two-time MVP "obtained a federal trademark registration for 'GREEK FREAK' in 2014," which "covers the use of the name on backpacks and clothing items that include shirts, hooded sweatshirts, jackets, jerseys, socks and warm up suits." Shrewd business thinking, being that the move allowed him to use the nickname for his first Nike signature sneaker — the Nike Zoom Freak 1, making him just the 22nd Nike signature athlete in the company history and the first born and raised outside of the United States.  Additionally, Antetokounmpo would go on to file a trademark application for "GREEK FREAK" for entertainment services. 

Yes, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a paid man now with one of the richest NBA contracts in league history, a shoe deal, and other endorsements coming out of the woodworks, but such wasn't always the case. In fact, although the Greek Freak went to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round, there was a time when he would still find himself helping out family, much like he did back when he would sell everyday items to ensure food was on the table. One such story that encapsulates this to the letter is the time the NBA star had to run to the arena for a game because he ... well, he lacked cab fare. 

In a profile piece by Sports Illustrated, the story goes that the then-19-year-old rookie took a cab to Western Union so that he could send some money back home. It wasn't until after sending all the money he could back to Athens, however, that he realized he didn't have enough left for cab fare. It was also a game day — so he ran to Fiserv Forum, the multi-purpose arena located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

But, wait, this heartwarming, hallmark story gets even better: the Bucks star could only get about a mile in before locals recognized and asked if he was the Bucks rookie. After saying yes, they picked him up and dropped him at the arena.

Giannis Antetokounmpo's son, Liam, could be the second coming of the Greek Freak — Greek Freak 2.0, if you will. While Giannis' side of the little one's genome is well documented — all of his brothers tower of six-feet — Liam's mother, Mariah Riddlesprigger, who is also Giannis' partner, has quite the athletic background as well, making the perfect mix for a potential first rounder in probably any sport the little man chooses. 

For starters, Riddlesprigger is 5-foot-10 so small in stature in her own right. Add the fact that Riddlesprigger is also a former college volleyball player who competed at Rice University with a father who played basketball at Fresno State, and you get a well balanced presence of athletic supremacy coming from both sides of Liam's DNA. Additionally, Riddlespringger has a cerebral feel of sports as well, earning a degree in Sports Management and Sociology before working as an intern for the Sixers and at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas (via NBA).

Liam has more than enough tools and resources to be a six-to-ten figure earner playing sports like his father, and should be receiving offers in no time.  

While Giannis Antetokounmpo's elder brother, Francis Adetokounbo — who is also the only of the five boys to be born in Nigeria — did dabble in semi-professional basketball, he mostly used his athletic skills to forge a professional career in soccer, including stints with Greek clubs AE Sparti and Aittitos Spaton. 

What probably sets Francis out the most, however, is his liking to music. The 33-year-old released his first official single, "Shekosi," in 2020, with an accompanying music video that has a guest star appearance from "La Casa De Papel" actor Darko Peric. "I came here because the Antetokounmpo brother, the oldest one Francis, is shooting his first video clip, music video. And he wants me in the video clip. So Thanasis called me and he said if I want to come," the actor said during an interview with Eurohoops.

A championship trophy is cool, but Giannis isn't scoring a music video with an international actor.