A press conference was held and by sport24.gr in Greek by Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo have arrived in Athens, Greece with the NBA championship trophy and Finals MVP cup in tow.
Giannis’ message to his Greek fans last week was “I want 100 K fans waiting for me and my family at the airport” upon his return to Greece with the Cup.
Due to co-vid pandemic the public was told not to turn up to the airport to greet the super stars instead they will be visiting their old playground for a meet and greet with their fans.
During the interview Giannis said.
“We had to go through a long process (to bring the trophy to Greece),” Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “We don’t know how many days we will stay, but we will take it with us to the places we grew up, to Sepolia and Zografou.”
Sepolia is the Athens neighborhood where the Antetokounmpo brothers grew up. Zografou is the Athens suburb where Giannis began his basketball career at a local club, Filathlitikos.
Antetokounmpo said the celebration “did not last long. I want to live this again” with another title. “To continue getting better, stay hungry, stay winning and live such moments with Milwaukee and the Greek national team. This feeling of winning is addictive.”
Antetokounmpo added that part of his desire to win is “because I’m a people pleaser. I want to win for Liam his son, my mother, my family, my friends, for Greece.
“I might win the next title next year, or three years from now. But even if I never win another title in my life, I will still be fine, because that will have been God’s plan.”
Thanasis and Giannis used to join their parents on the streets of Sepolia Athens, selling DVDs and CDs to make some money. They were always working. And when they weren’t working, Giannis and Kostas were walking five miles from Sepolia to Zografou, to get their reps in on the court. They’d regularly sleep at the gym rather than risk the late-night walk home. Thanasis and Giannis had to share basketball shoes, too, once they started playing. They’d switch in and out of a pair of Kobe 4s.
The Sports Centre of Sepolia in the Municipality of Athens has been prepared for his arrival. This is where everything started for Giannis Antetokounmpo and he wrote the first pages of his basketball history with, has comes to life again waiting for the family to return.
After a short stay in Greece, Giannis will return to the United States, where his girlfriend, Mariah Riddlesprigger, is expecting their second child later in August.