"I would never give up" - Complete Giannis Antetokounmpo's journey from pauper to multi-millionaire NBA champion

Time of India

7 hours ago

Complete Giannis Antetokounmpo's journey from pauper to multi-millionaire NBA champion (image Credit: Getty Images)
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a name that is hardly unfamiliar to any NBA fan. He is a dynamic force on the hardwood, an NBA Champion with an estimated net worth of $94 million, with several accolades to his credit.
But what was Giannis before he became the NBA superstar? Here is the complete story of the Milwaukee Bucks superstar who Stephen A. Smith recently called out as an 'underachiever', a remark that stirred his fans.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was literally nobody as born to migrant parents
Not everyone gets things easier; at least Giannis is not one of those lucky ones. He was born to parents of Nigerian origin who migrated to Greece. Tagged with migrant status and undocumented identity, Giannis literally was nobody.
Struggling with poverty and uncertainty, Giannis found selling as a means to survive.
Referring to his interview with an ESPN reporter, Olympics.com shared Giannis' account of his childhood. He said:
'I used to sell things since I can remember myself, since I was six or seven years old.
I was always out of home trying as much as I could to help my mom and dad by selling watches, glasses, CDs, DVDs, and everything I could find.
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I was doing that until I turned 17 because I had to. I had no other choice. When I was selling all those things, I was the best seller.'
Giannis Antetokounmpo on money, motivation, the MVP and more | NBA on ESPN
He continued, 'My secret was that I would never give up. I would continue asking people until I could get them to buy something. It also helped that I was young and sweet."
Giannis used sports as a means to keep his mind off his worries. He had a deep interest in football, just like his father, but it was his coach's pestering that got the basketball a rising hero.
Giannis Antetokounmpo chose basketball over football on his Greek coach's advice
Basketball was not Giannis' first love. He was drawn to football as it was ingrained in his Nigerian genes, as this sport was a part of their culture. In 2007, when he was a teenager, a local Greek coach, Spiros Velliniatis, discovered him and pestered him into basketball. Velliniatis told him to pursue basketball, calling it a means to make money to buy food. Giannis finally agreed and got introduced to the Filathlitikos basketball program.
In 2011, when he was 17, Giannis played for Filathlitikos senior team, from which he was scouted by European and NBA teams.
The future champion faced the daily struggle of playing without proper sports gear. He continued to sell things on the street to support his family and his sport.
Giannis Antetokounmpo made his entry into NBA as Milwaukee Bucks' draft in 2013
As a fiery, young player with big dreams in his eyes, Giannis made his entry into the NBA as the Milwaukee Bucks' draft pick in 2013. He was not a nobody now, but a Greek national and a promising NBA star.
Giannis didn't look back after his debut. He took his starting years as an opportunity to learn and grow.
He made a humble start with a competitive slash like featuring 6.8 points. But he showed potential and clocked extra hours to sharpen his skills and showed what an 18-year-old can bring to the table.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was a superstar in making in 2015-2016
Giannis got a decent financial footing with his Rookie contract that earned him an estimated average salary of $2.1 million per year.
In the 2015-2016 season, he scored his career's first 5 triple-doubles, justifying his growing paycheck.
With a constant evolution in style and technique, Giannis achieved amazing versatility with a reputation as a multi-point guard. It established him as one of the elite NBA players.
The 2016-2017 season saw Giannis' complete bloom. He became an All-Star for the first time. Also, he won the NBA Most Improved Player award.
It was not a simple recognition but a historic achievement as he landed among the top 20 in all performance statistics in a single season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo became Milwaukee Bucks' highest-paid player with 2016 extension contract
With a visible and fully recognized improvement in his game, Giannis became the cornerstone of the franchise and a bona fide superstar. His 2016 extension contract, valued at $100 million, made him one of the highest-paid Milwaukee Bucks stars.
In December 2020, Giannis saw another leap in his earnings with a Supermax contract, which fetched him 5-year, $228.2 million deal, making his average annual salary equal to $45.6 million.
It was the richest contract in NBA history at that time.
In addition, Giannis has bagged numerous prestigious endorsement deals from 2017 to date. Nike signed a lifetime deal with the Greek Freak. Other established biggies like Tissot, JBL, Hulu, Google Pixel, and WhatsApp also signed him for humongous deals.
In 2024-2025, his earnings from endorsements are estimated to have reached $15-$25 million annually.
This is how an unknown name from Nigeria became a multi-million-dollar superstar of the NBA. By defying all odds, with belief in the self and hard work, Giannis has written a success story capable of going down in NBA history as a legend.
Also Read:
Giannis Antetokounmpo shuts down LeBron James critics with bold tweet backing NBA legend's skillset
Disney+ recapped his life in a movie called Rise. Giannis' journey is truly inspirational and reminds us of the fact that success needs only hard work and motivation; the rest is just noise.