Giannis

  But his future was still uncertain. Rumors swirled about which teams would lure him, especially Miami and Golden State. And yet Giannis didn’t talk about it. He downplayed his back-to-back MVPs, only reiterating that he wanted to win a championship.

  “Don’t call me MVP,” he told reporters when he left for Greece in September 2020. “Don’t call me two-time MVP until I’m a champion.”

  * * *

  Not knowing when the NBA season might start during the ongoing pandemic, Giannis stayed in Athens with his family as long as he could. He and his brothers surprised Kostas at 6:00 a.m. at the airport, Kostas having flown in right after winning a ring with the Lakers, the 2019–2020 champions. Giannis and Thanasis brought him balloons, celebrating him, congratulating him.

  This was also the first time Giannis brought nine-month-old Liam to Greece. Coming back as a father was different for Giannis. He watched little Liam peer out at the same streets, same sights, where he’d grown up.

  Liam will grow up so differently. Liam will never have to Christmas carol around town for money. He will never have to dress up in his Sunday best to convince landlords that he and his family are capable of making rent. He will never know what it feels like to lie to teammates and coaches by telling them he has eaten when he hasn’t.

  Giannis was in awe of Liam. The cute gestures he made. The way he already looked like a grown person in such a tiny body. How he couldn’t sit still. The first words Giannis wanted him to understand were “sit down,” as Liam crawled everywhere, always on the move. Always curious.

  Giannis brought some Bucks coaches to Greece, including Josh Oppenheimer, and trained at the arena that hosts Panathinaikos, the powerhouse that hadn’t signed him just seven years back. One workout, Giannis shot free throws in between drills. If he missed a free throw, he had his coaches run. Giannis hated that—that they would have to suffer for his shortcomings.

  Then he upped the stakes: if he missed, Mariah and Liam, who were in the gym watching, would also have to run. That gave him a different level of focus. A different level of accountability.

  But mostly, he wanted to spend his time with those he loved. He went to Sweden to see his old friend and teammate Andrian Nkwònia, who was living there at the time, playing basketball, following his own dreams. Giannis helped Nkwònia renew his visa, staying two days to ensure his friend’s application was submitted.

  It was as if a day hadn’t passed since the two were kids. Walking around Sepolia, trying to find some place of refuge, some excuse not to be at home. To Nkwònia, and all his childhood friends, Giannis was still Giannakis. Little Giannis. Even though so much had changed.

  Giannis told Cosmote TV, a local Greek station, around that time, “I want to be Giannis who started from Filathlitikos, not the MVP of the NBA.”

  But he can’t go back. Only forward. And as much as he wanted to focus purely on basketball, he couldn’t escape supermax-contract questions. He told reporters it was one of the biggest decisions of his life but that he was just focusing on his game and allowing his agents to handle the contract.

  Media obsessed over his decision. Sports TV and radio personalities kept glamorizing sexier potential big-market destinations for Giannis, assuring listeners, without any knowledge, that Giannis was a much better fit for a place like Golden State in particular. It was chaotic. Nonstop. Bucks fans were on edge, vacillating between nervousness, denial, and outright confidence.

  Nobody really knew what was going on. The Bucks fumbled a trade for Kings star Bogdan Bogdanović, violating tampering rules. The team did manage to trade for talented point guard Jrue Holiday, a move that impressed Giannis and signified a commitment to improving the lackluster backcourt from the previous season.

  The Bucks were optimistic that Giannis would stay, but the Bogdanović gaffe was embarrassing. Giannis had wanted Bogdanović on the Bucks. Giannis and Thanasis were both in constant communication with him, as Giannis had respected the guard since playing against him in the world cup in Madrid.

  The deadline to sign the extension was December 21, and Giannis had been in talks with Bucks management leading up to that date. He had a three-hour lunch with Lasry, the Bucks co-owner, after the playoffs, discussing players and coaches and free agents, with Giannis showing him texts from stars on rival teams pitching him.

  Lasry and Edens, the other co-owner, met with Giannis again and reminded him they were just as committed to winning a championship as he was. The Bucks believed Giannis wanted to be a Buck, but the Bucks had to demonstrate they were as determined to win as he was.

  Giannis’s teammates gave him nineteen pens for his twenty-sixth birthday, right before the first preseason game of the 2020–2021 season, as a clever way to say, “Sign the extension. All nineteen of us want you here.”

  But no one had a clear indication of which way Giannis would turn. One day he seemed all in, the next more hesitant, asking new questions. And to many who were from Milwaukee, who knew the pain of what could happen, reality set in: maybe Giannis really would leave.

  “It’s a city that’s holding on to hope,” says Myron Medcalf of ESPN, “but there’s a familiar sense of ‘everybody leaves,’ and if anyone is gonna leave, certainly it could be the most talented player in the league.”

  * * *

  Budenholzer was pulling out of the parking lot of a garage when he saw that his sons had texted him the tweet. The tweet. Budenholzer hadn’t known Giannis’s decision until he read the tweet that afternoon, on December 15:

  “This is my home, this is my city. I’m blessed to be able to be a part of the Milwaukee Bucks for the next 5 years. Let’s make these years count. The show goes on, let’s get it.” Giannis followed that with a heart emoji, then a prayer-hands emoji, and two pictures of him side by side in a Bucks uniform: one smiling, one of him looking down at the basketball he was clutching.

  Giannis signed a $228 million extension, the largest contract in NBA history. He could have held a press conference. He could have announced it on national TV. He could have done a live Instagram. But that wouldn’t be him. So he dodged attention, even as he was the biggest story in the NBA—in all of sports—at that moment.

  He wanted to raise Liam, and his future children, in Milwaukee.

  And Veronica wanted to stay as well.

  Home.

  The city where he’d arrived as a skinny kid who couldn’t speak much English, who didn’t own a winter coat. Who shivered on Skype that year with his family.

  Home.

  The city where Bucks staff tried to make him feel at ease, giving every family member a key to the gym.

  Home.

  All his life he had been searching for it. A place to sleep at night. A place to feel safe, at ease, where he didn’t fear Greek police knocking at his door, taking his parents from him. A place where he didn’t have to fear making it in America on his own, trying to figure out how he could repay the Bucks for taking a chance on him and drafting him. For fighting like hell to get his parents visas to come to America. To call Milwaukee home.

  When Milwaukeeans saw Giannis use that word—home—it meant something deep to them. They were so used to fans from other cities telling them to just be quiet, just be grateful that a talent like Giannis would even consider staying in a place like Milwaukee. “Nobody ever wants to play in Milwaukee” is what they heard before Giannis.

  And then this sweet, fierce seven-footer from another country came along and talked about how awesome Milwaukee was. How he didn’t mind the cold. He didn’t mock their blue-collar jobs, their way of life.

  “There’s recognition, in Giannis’s decision, that the little guy, so to speak, got one over on the big boys,” says Kogutkiewicz, the longtime Bucks fan. “You can’t take that away.”

  Giannis saw himself in this city, and in him, they saw themselves too. “This global superstar, this one-in-a-million-type player, he chose us,” says Alex Lanson, a twenty-three-year-old Milwaukee native and Bucks fan. “Before Giannis, we k
ept looking for a savior. Just looking for that person to bring Milwaukee back. Time after time, it was just disappointment, disappointment, disappointment. And finally, this is our guy.”

  Jamie and Joel Sarauer, longtime Bucks fans, cried when they read Giannis’s tweet. They had met at the Bradley Center. Had their first date at the Bradley Center. Felt at home at the Bradley Center. And she had better seats than him? Keeper. They haven’t missed a game.

  Their dog died during the pandemic, and they say they’re going to get a new one sometime soon. They’re considering the name Bradley, in honor of the place that brought them together.

  Giannis deciding to stay in Milwaukee, for them, is a gift. “It makes you really want to cry,” Jamie says. “We deserve to have a generational type of player and human. Bucks fans, we always feel we get the short end of the stick. We’re always ripped on. We’re still ripped on.

  “This isn’t the prettiest state,” Jamie says, “but I never want to leave Milwaukee. Ever.”

  * * *

  After signing the supermax, Giannis’s mind drifted to his father, as it often does. Giannis said his dad would be dancing if he could see him now. He’d be so proud of him and his brothers. What they’ve accomplished on the court, who they’ve become off the court. And he knew that even if his dad was not there to see him sign the document, he was there in spirit.

  Now there is even more motivation for him to win. More pressure too. Milwaukee has five more years. They can’t afford to squander Giannis’s prime. They will likely have no better shot in the next few decades than with Giannis. Every second matters.

  But there is another goal too: for all his brothers to make the NBA. “That would be something that, if my dad could see, he would probably just cry,” Kostas says. “We really don’t talk about it a lot, but it’s a dream we have and think about a lot.”

  Alex is up next, as he’s currently playing with Murcia, a competitive team in southern Spain that competes in EuroLeague. But Liam has replaced Alex as Giannis’s workout buddy at the practice facility. At least during the season. Liam watches Giannis as he trains, as he pushes himself. He giggles on the side, intently watching his father sweat.

  They are home.

  Thanasis, Giannis’s oldest brother in Greece, far right, and Giannis, third from right, pose for a team photo with Filathlitikos. Thanasis is Giannis’s role model. Grigoris Melas

  Giannis, far right, and his friends and teammates, Rahman Rana, middle, and Andrian Nkwònia, left, take a picture after visiting Mount Lycabettus as fourteen-year-olds. Rahman Rana

  Giannis dreamed of carrying the Greek flag, which he would finally get to do on March 25, 2013, when Greece celebrated its independence. He volunteered on behalf of his team, Filathlitikos. Grigoris Melas

  Giannis competed in an all-star game in Athens when he was around seventeen years old. He was determined to make the NBA. Grigoris Melas

  Giannis shakes the hand of NBA Commissioner David Stern on draft night, after being selected fifteenth overall. Mike Stobe/Getty Images

  Giannis would show tremendous athleticism his rookie year, dunking with authority. Christian Petersen/Getty Images

  Giannis was so excited to purchase his first car, a used black GMC Yukon truck. He asked his close friend Ross Geiger, Bucks video coordinator, to come with him to pick up the keys in February 2014. Ross Geiger

  Giannis has always been hard on himself. When he missed a free throw in his rookie year, he’d feel upset, telling his teammates: “But it’s free!” Greg Nelson/Sports Illustrated

  Giannis visits his hometown in Sepolia in summer 2015, playing pickup with old friends. NurPhoto

  Kobe Bryant was one of Giannis’s biggest inspirations. Notching his first career triple-double on this February 2016 night was special for Giannis. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

  Giannis used to shy away from contact his rookie year. By 2016, he was dunking on opponents with ease. Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

  By 2019, Giannis was more determined than ever to bring a championship to Milwaukee. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

  There is always joy when Giannis plays. He is still the kid who loves to play basketball. Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

  The Antetokounmpos pose for a photo before Giannis wins his first MVP in 2019. Veronica, his mother, and Mariah, his girlfriend, stand with the brothers on stage. Cassy Athena

  Giannis gives an emotional speech after winning MVP in 2019. He thanked his family, teammates, and Milwaukee. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

  Giannis’s main goal is to have all his brothers make the NBA. Here, he chats with his brothers Kostas, middle, and Thanasis, right. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

  Giannis enjoys the launch of his first sneaker, the Nike Zoom Freak, in 2019. Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

  Giannis can play any position on the court, often floating through them all. Dylan Buell/Getty Images

  Giannis used to practice his scowl in the front of the mirror as a rookie and second-year player. Now, he intimidates opponents nightly. Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images

  Giannis is the savior the Bucks have been waiting for since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He is their hope to finally bring a championship back to Milwaukee. Rich Fury/Getty Images

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thank you to the wonderful people at Hachette Books for publishing Giannis. This wouldn’t have been possible without my editor, Brant Rumble, whose excitement and passion for this project motivated me from the beginning. Special thanks to Hachette publicity and marketing gurus Michael Giarratano and Julianne Lewis as well.

  I’m grateful to Anthony Mattero of CAA, the best literary agent in the business. Thank you for seeing my vision from the start, for always keeping your door open. Thank you to Michael Klein of CAA, my other agent, for advocating for me and for supporting my aspirations.

  So many people helped with Giannis. Thank you to Adam Fromal for your diligent fact-checking and incredible eye. Thank you to Ana Tosouni and Mary Christianakis for your immense help in translating Greek articles and interviews, for always being there when I messaged you: “Just one more question!” Thank you to Gabriel Rogers for your research on the ground in Sepolia. I am grateful for the help and kindness of all the Greek sports journalists I interviewed, especially Nikos Papadojannis, who was an invaluable source of information and perspective. A huge thank-you to Nicole Yang, Maggie Vanoni, Chris Lopez, and Lila Bromberg for help with early transcription. Special thanks to Chris Herring, Ti Windisch, Giannis Tzikas, Marcus Vanderberg, Anna Ilif, Harrison Faigen, Marcus Thompson, Myron Medcalf, Jean Wyatt, Noune Diarbekirian, Heidi Shaw, Brantley Watson, Chris Ballard, and Melissa Isaacson.

  Thank you to my Ringer colleagues, who have embraced me with open arms: Matt Dollinger, Mallory Rubin, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Kevin O’Connor, Arjuna Ramgopal, and Rob Mahoney. I love working at a place that encourages me to pitch and pitch and follow the ideas that fascinate me.

  I would not be here without my mentor and friend Jeff Pearlman. Thank you for always being there for me, for supporting me and challenging me and helping me become a better writer. Thank you to my other mentor Christina Tapper, whose love, friendship, and guidance helped me find my way in this industry. Thank you for encouraging me to be bold, courageous, and kind to myself. Thank you to my other Bleacher Report mag family: Ben Osborne, Jake Leonard, Elliott Pohnl, Matt Sullivan, Ian Blair, Mark Smoyer, Paige Kuhn, Paul Forrester, and Meredith Minkow. I love you all. Thank you for letting me write the stories that my heart craved. Thank you for allowing me to travel the world and live my dream. I feel lucky to have worked with people that I will be friends with for the rest of my life.

  Thank you to my amazing family and friends for supporting me throughout this book, throughout everything. You know who you are. I love you.

  Thank you to Toni Morrison and Wright Thompson for inspiring me to write. Thank you to the coffee shops of LA for letting me sit for hours, writing and struggling and sipping and rewriting. Thank you to the freew
ays of Orange County, where I spent day after day sitting in traffic, dreaming of writing a book while a cub reporter at the Orange County Register.

  Most importantly, thank you, Mom, Dad, Lainna, Uncle Sidney, and Cookie. I love you more than words can describe. You are my world. Thank you for loving me, for believing in me, for teaching me to be resilient and to stand tall. I never gave up because you never gave up on me.

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  NOTES

  Much of the information in this book is based on 221 interviews with family members, friends, coaches, and teammates both from Greece and America, as well as Bucks personnel, opponents, and others. There were a number of people who were interviewed off the record or on background. I include the names of the 221 primary source interviews in the coming notes, except those who spoke off the record or on background. Some interviews required a translator, and I note the translator’s name in those instances. In instances where I describe scenes, I interviewed at least one person who was present or had firsthand knowledge of what took place. Where I’ve reconstructed dialogue, I interviewed at least one person who was present for the conversation. If the dialogue came from a secondary source article, I cite that article directly in the notes. When someone is said to have “thought” or “felt” something, I obtained that knowledge directly from the individual, from a source with direct knowledge of the individual’s viewpoint, or from a secondary source article cited in the notes. I retained a Greek translator to translate secondary source articles written in Greek. I include both the Greek and English translated bibliographic information in the notes.