Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP

The astounding story of Giannis Antetokounmpo (b. 1994), the Greek NBA megastar, has been well-documented, but never with as much detail as in this new biography. Fader, a staff writer for The Ringer, has written the comprehensive account of the athlete’s journey to becoming the highly versatile MVP he is today. Watching the 6-foot-11 Antetokounmpo slash and Euro-step his way through NBA defenses in 2021, it's easy to forget that as a teen he despised basketball and instead harbored dreams of soccer stardom. Giannis and his three brothers (two of whom have joined him in the NBA) were raised in Athens by Nigerian immigrants and came of age in a Greece experiencing economic collapse and the rise of ultra-nationalism. This account captures Antetokounmpo the man and basketball player, but it’s not just a story of unlikely stardom: it also tells an immigration story spanning three continents, as well as a story about what basketball means to a small city like Milwaukee.