Before becoming a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks was once a poverty-stricken lad who couldn't even afford to eat.
Antetokounmpo recalled his heartbreaking childhood in his appearance in The Woj Pod with Adrian Wojnarowski. He was already harboring NBA dreams then. This entailed a strict training regimen supplemented by healthy meals. But Giannis had no other choice but to do some intense training with an empty stomach.
“Looking back with the way we eat, the way we take care of bodies, we didn't eat enough, not me not my brothers. I went to school, no breakfast, come home sometimes food, sometimes no food, then practice until 11 then I have my first meal”
"Looking back with the way we eat, the way we take care of bodies, we didn't eat enough, not me not my brothers. I went to school, no breakfast, come home sometimes food, sometimes no food, then practice until 11 then I have my first meal"
(via “The Woj Pod”, h/t @NBA_Reddit) pic.twitter.com/V1h84wwDEX
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 18, 2020
Snippets from Antetokounmpo rags-to-riches narrative can be heard on the pod. When several NBA players complained about their lackluster food and unkempt hotel room in the NBA bubble, Antetokounmpo had zero complaints, noting that their apartment back in the day was way smaller.
There's also a touching story that even though Antetokounmpo was already in the NBA earning some good money, he was still broke and couldn't even afford a cab fare. It was because he sent all his money to his family back in Greece.
Now, Giannis Antetokounmpo and two of his brothers — Thanasis and Kostas — are in the NBA. He's actually teammates with his elder brother Thanasis. Kostas, for his part, won his first title with the Los Angeles Lakers. Hard work has definitely paid off for Giannis and his brothers. The youngest brother Alex is currently playing in Europe and has made some NBA radars.
Amid all their success, they have remained humble and are hungry for more.
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