Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpos recently released his first signature shoe with Nike. Dubbed the Nike Air Zoom Freak 1, the shoes sleek and simplistic design have made it a popular seller already. Aaron Dodson of ‘Undefeated' caught up with Giannis to allow him to explain the purpose of the design and what it meant to him:
“I wanted my shoe to basically introduce me and my family to the world,” says Antetokounmpo. The outer midsoles of each sneaker feature the names of his parents: his mother, Veronica, and late father, Charles, who emigrated together from Nigeria to Greece in the early 1990s to provide a better life for their boys. Inscribed on the soles of each shoe’s heel are the names of Antetokounmpo’s four brothers: Francis, Thanasis, Kostas and Alex.
“I wanted a good-looking shoe that could tell a story that a kid could relate to,” he continues. “A shoe that could make a kid work hard. A shoe that could make a kid believe in his dream.”
The fact that Antetokounmpo used his first shoe design to not only celebrate his own success but that of his family shows exactly what kind of person he is. On and off the court, Giannis is a generous distributor, sharing the wealth with teammates and family. Props to the Greek Freak for using his platform to acknowledge his home country, background, and loved ones.
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