Giannis Antetokounmpo is obviously the star of the Milwaukee Bucks, and he is one of the best players in the NBA. However, his brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, is also on the Bucks, but he doesn't get the kind of attention that his brother gets. Thanasis wouldn't be popular without his brother, and he only comes in during late-game blowouts. Still, he is an incredibly important part of Giannis' life and journey.
The bond that brothers share is incredibly strong, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Thanasis have a great one. Giannis recently said that he wouldn't be the man he was today if it weren't for his brother. His whole family is incredibly important to him.
“[They played] the biggest [role in my life],” Giannis Antetokounmpo told ClutchPoints. “My brother, Thanasis. I am the man that I am because of him. Not even close. This guy is… If you could mold the perfect brother. he has to be up there, man. And my dad. My dad taught me about hard work and being respectful, being considerate of other people. My mom always told me to never give up, chase my dream until the end. My little brothers are there supporting me. Without them, I wouldn't be even close to the man that I am today. I'm not even going to say the player. Who cares about the player? I'm talking about the man, as a father, as a person. I wouldn't even be speaking with you. I wouldn't be even close if I didn't have this in my life.”
Thanasis Antetokounmpo has a big effect on Thanasis behind the scenes. In terms of being a good brother, Giannis couldn't ask for anything more.
“I'll say many times, if you could like create the perfect brother, Thanasis would probably be the person,” Antetokounmpo said this weekend. “He always looked after us, took care of us, was supportive of us. He's always been there for not just me, but all our brothers.”
Now, Giannis is the star in the NBA, and there's a lot that comes with that. One of those things is shoe and apparel deals. Giannis shared a story about Thanasis and how that impacted how he works with companies today. He wants everything to have a story.
“Back in the day, my brother Thanasis went viral with the Shammgod move,” Giannis said. “He basically shared shoes with me. He shared the Kobe 5's or Kobe 6's, something like that. It was the same colorway that I wore [in the All-Star Game], white and red. I loved them. Whenever he played, he'd take them off and then give them to me and allowed me to play. So we used to share our shoes. …When I work with companies or Nike specifically, I want my shoes or anything that comes out to have a story that's authentic to me, something that people can relate to. I don't want to say a story about the shoe about something — I don't know. What's popular right now? [Let's say] FIFA. Just put a shoe out there? No. I want all my shoes to have a story, which most of the stories include my family because that's what I'm about. Everybody who knows me knows I'm about my family.”
Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo clearly have a special relationship, and it's awesome to see them now both playing for the Bucks in the NBA.
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