Giannis
The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP
-
-
4.4 • 52 Ratings
-
-
- $11.99
-
- $11.99
Publisher Description
The story of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s extraordinary rise from poverty in Athens, Greece, to superstardom in America with the Milwaukee Bucks—becoming one of the most transcendent players in history and an NBA Champion—from award-winning basketball reporter and feature writer at The Ringer Mirin Fader.
As the face of the NBA’s new world order, Giannis Antetokounmpo has overcome unfathomable obstacles to become a symbol of hope for people all over the world; the personification of the American Dream. But his backstory remains largely untold. Fader unearths new information about the childhood that shaped “The Greek Freak”—from sleeping side by side with his brothers to selling trinkets on the street with his family to the racism he experienced. Antetokounmpo grew up in an era when Golden Dawn, Greece’s far-right, anti-immigrant party, patrolled his neighborhood, and his status as an illegal immigrant largely prevented him from playing for the country’s top clubs, making his NBA rise all the more improbable. Fader tells a deeply human story of how an unknown, skinny, Black Greek teen, who played in the country’s lowest pro division and was seen as a draft gamble, transformed his body and his game into MVP material.
Antetokounmpo’s story has been framed as a feel-good narrative in which everyone has embraced him—watching him grow up, sign a five-year supermax contract extension worth $228 million, and lead the underdog Bucks to the NBA Championship in 2021. Giannis reveals a more nuanced story: how lonely and isolated he felt, adjusting to America and the NBA early in his career; the complexity of grappling with his Black and Greek identities; how he is so hard on himself and his shortcomings—a drive that fuels him every day; and the responsibility he feels to be a nurturing role model for his younger brothers. Fader illustrates a more vulnerable star than most people know, a person who has evolved triumphantly into all of his roles: father, brother, son, teammate, and global icon.
**Instant New York Times Bestseller, Los Angeles Times Bestseller, Wall Street Journal Bestseller, USA Today Bestseller, Publishers Weekly Bestseller**
**Mirin Fader Selected as the 2021 Sports Media Author of the Year by The Big Lead**
**The Sports Librarian’s Best of 2022 – Sports Books**
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fader, a staff writer for the Ringer, makes good use of her access to NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family in her debut, an inspiring rags-to-riches account. In 1991, Antetokounmpo's Nigerian parents left their native country for better opportunities in Greece, where Antetokounmpo was born a few years later. As a six-year-old, Antetokounmpo accompanied his mother selling trinkets on the streets, but the money was never enough, and his family was frequently evicted from their homes. At age 13, Antetokounmpo's life took a turn when Athens basketball coach Spiros Velliniatis clocked the long-limbed teen running around the neighborhood and offered to find his parents work if Antetokounmpo joined his team. Once on the court, Antetokounmpo began to attract international attention and, in 2013, was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks—a gamble by the team that paid off when Giannis became the league's MVP in 2019 and 2020. Fader never loses sight of how Antetokounmpo continued to put his family's needs first, helping his mother, father, and brothers move to the U.S. in 2014 and purchasing the "ten-thousand-square-foot mansion" that he shares with them today. This captivating portrait of a sincere, diligent, and humble talent serves as a refreshing antidote to the often-depressing stories of those who become corrupted by success.
Customer Reviews
Subject was good but writing fell short
The book covered a lot of ground and the author seemed to have a lot of sources but still felt like many things were generalized, “Giannis always did this” or “Giannis never did that”. And the story was almost too positive; didn’t Giannis ever make a mistake?
Maybe I’m being too harsh and expecting the author could have written something comparable to “The Boys in the Boat” or “The Breaks of the Game”. The subject was as good as these books but the writing fell way short.