In 2011, Antetokounmpo began his professional level career with Filathlitikos, of the Greek 3rd Division, after previously playing with the club in the Greek minor leagues. During the 2012–13 Greek 2nd Division season with Filathlitikos, he averaged 12.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game.[3] He was selected by the coaches to play in the 2013 Greek All-Star Game as a special participant, even though he was not actually selected as an all-star,[4] and competed in the slam dunk contest as players from the second division are eligible to compete in the dunk competition.
After originally declaring for the 2013 NBA draft, he withdrew from the draft on June 17, 2013, along with 17 other players, on the day of the withdrawal deadline.[5] He had originally entered the draft with his younger brother Giannis.
He played four games for Filathlitikos in the 2013–14 Greek A2 League season. In a round 2 game against Ermis Lagkada on October 19, 2013. He recorded 15 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in his team's 76–69 win.[6]
During the 2013–14 NBA Development League season, he averaged 12.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks in 50 games.[9] On May 1, 2014, he was named to the 2014 NBA D-League All-Defensive third team.[10]
Westchester Knicks (2014–2016)
Antetokounmpo with the Westchester Knicks in January 2016
On June 26, 2014, Antetokounmpo was selected with the 51st overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft by the New York Knicks.[11] He later joined the Knicks for the 2014 NBA Summer League where he averaged 3.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in five games. On November 3, 2014, he was acquired by the Westchester Knicks.[12] On April 22, 2015, he was named to the 2015 NBA D-League All-Defensive second team.[13] In 47 games for Westchester, he averaged 13.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game.[9]
In July 2015, Antetokounmpo re-joined the New York Knicks for the 2015 NBA Summer League where he averaged 6.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in five games. On August 7, 2015, he signed with the Knicks,[14] only to be waived by the team on October 23, after appearing in three preseason games.[15] Later that month, he returned to the Westchester Knicks.[16][17]
New York Knicks (2016)
On January 29, 2016, Antetokounmpo signed a 10-day contract with the New York Knicks.[18] He made his NBA debut later that night, scoring two points in two minutes of action against the Phoenix Suns.[19]
Return to Westchester (2016)
On February 8, 2016, New York decided not to renew Antetokounmpo's contract,[20] and the following day, he returned to Westchester.[21]
Andorra (2016–2017)
On August 8, 2016, Antetokounmpo signed with MoraBanc Andorra of the Liga ACB.[22] He played an instrumental role as his team qualified for the first time in 22 years to the ACB playoffs, where they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Real Madrid. He averaged 7.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game during regular season, before raising his contribution to 12.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in the playoffs. The Spanish basketball magazine Gigantes del Basket awarded Antetokounmpo with their 2017 "Top 5 Trophy", which goes to the Liga ACB "Most Spectacular Player of the Year".[23][24]
On July 16, 2019, Antetokounmpo signed with the Milwaukee Bucks, reuniting with his brother Giannis, also becoming the second pair of brothers on the Bucks roster, after twins Brook and Robin Lopez.[29]
On August 13, 2021, Antetokounmpo re-signed with the Bucks on a two-year deal.[31] On April 10, 2022, he recorded a career-high 27 points, alongside five rebounds, two assists and a block, in a 133–115 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[32]
On March 30, 2023, during a 140–99 loss to the Boston Celtics, Antetokounmpo engaged in an altercation with Celtics forward Blake Griffin. Antetokounmpo was ejected from the game after headbutting Griffin. Two days later, the NBA suspended Antetokounmpo for one game without pay due to the incident.[33]
On July 28, 2023, Antetokounmpo re-signed a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.[34] A clip of him performing a "Shammgod" move went viral on social media during a game against the Charlotte Hornets on February 10, 2024.[35] He played in 34 games for Milwaukee during the 2023-24 NBA season, recording 32 total points on 16–for–30 shooting.[36] On May 8, 2024, it was announced that Antetokounmpo would require surgery after suffering a torn Achilles tendon.[37]
Antetokounmpo next represented Greece at the 2017 FIBA EuroBasket competition. He had averages of 6.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game during the tournament.[42] During the 2019 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers,[43] Antetokounmpo averaged 8.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game.[44] At the main 2019 FIBA World Cup tournament, he contributed 6.0 points and 1.4 rebounds per game to Greece's national team.[45]
He then played with Greece at the 2022 FIBA EuroBasket, where he averaged 3.0 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.[46] While representing Greece at the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, he had per game averages of 9.5 points and 3.0 rebounds.[47] He was also a part of the Greek team at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. During the 2023 World Cup, his per game numbers were 3.8 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.[48][49]
Antetokounmpo was born in Athens, Greece to parents from Nigeria, and grew up in the Athens neighborhood of Sepolia.[52] His late father, Charles, was a soccer player, while his mother, Veronica, is a former high jumper.[53] His parents are from different Nigerian ethnic groups—Charles was Yoruba, and Veronica is Igbo.[54] He officially gained Greek citizenship on May 9, 2013,[55] with the official legal spelling of his last name being Antetokounmpo.[56] His oldest brother, Francis, follows his father's career path and plays soccer professionally.
His younger brother, Giannis Antetokounmpo (b. 1994), was drafted 15th overall in the 2013 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.[57] With Giannis known as "The Greek Freak", Thanasis was sometimes referred to as "Greek Freak 2",[58][59] although his own nickname was "The Greek Streak".[60] In addition, he's also the older brother of Kostas and Alex, both of whom also trained with Filathlitikos. Antetokounmpo's mother gave each of her four sons born in Greece, both a Greek and a Nigerian name.[61] Kostas has played in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers, and also with several EuroLeague clubs. Alex, who graduated from Dominican High School, also went on to play professional basketball in the NBA G League and in Europe. Giannis has credited his development and upbringing to Thanasis, who was a catalyst for him to gain interest in basketball.[62]
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