why does giannis cover his baby's eyes

Which leaves us with one stubborn case, and the ballot that birthed the entire voter fatigue narrative: Karl Malones victory over Jordan in 1997. In 2014, in a move toward transparency and accountability, the NBA started making all ballots public, and in 2017 eliminated the local broadcasters (and their clear conflicts of interest) to reduce the pool to 100.

Charles passed away in 2017 but his memory still lives on in the hearts of those he touched, especially his son, who will forever be grateful for the love, support, and guidance he provided. You can get in touch with me by dialing my work phone number. A literal room, filled to the literal top, in a house with only a normal abundance of rooms. He is trying to give less free promo, now that hes a champion: If you want your product to be mentioned by Giannis, from now on youre going to have to pay. Its because it was meant for teams to showcase their rookies before their superstars take over in the regular season. Also, his unprecedented achievement made him the first NBA player to rank within 20 in every major statistical category in a normal season. Some not so secretly. What is that next barrier? In 77 games with the Milwaukee Bucks last season, he averaged 6.7 points per game. I want to help as much as possible.. The replay shows Mavericks Dorian Finney-Smith accidentally elbowing Giannis face as they both attempted to rebound. Later on, the family shifted to a locality close to Filathlitikos that made it very convenient for Giannis to train consistently.

The All-Star MVP.

I have no fucking choice.

Seemingly unsure of himself, despite his absolute certainty pertaining to basketball. Would love to know why he does it. Kostas is the younger brother of Thanasis and Giannis, and older brother to Alex (who we'll get to in a minute). Giannis Antetokounmpo received Greek citizenship on May 9, 2013, when he was almost twenty years old.

Kostas played university ball at the University of Dayton before declaring for the 2018 NBA draft.

Notably, the algorithm doesnot account for voter fatigue (according to its creators), nor is it capable of such fatigue itself. Research suggests taking a 'nature pill. Just like Giannis, he too began playing youth club basketball with the junior teams of Filathlitikos, in 2008.

They work on separating the guy who is arguably the best basketball player in the world right now from the guy holding his newborn child trying to knock down the walls between him and his own feelings.

No. Why?

The next challenge might not be here. Its not that he doesnt love Milwaukee, he said.

They welcomed their son Liam Charles in February 2020. I don't do that. Middleton said that it took him five years to feel like he knew Giannis even 50 percentnow, after eight, he figures hes up to 60 or even 90. In fact, even after turning eighteen, he remained a stateless person as he neither had Greek nor Nigerian citizenship. Giannis will tell you himself: What I am today, nobody saw it.

He married Veronica, a member of the Igbo ethnic group, whom he loved deeply. WebYes, of course he does. In two years, that might change.

AtDominican High School, Kostas helped lead the team to the championship as a senior.

He qualified as a singular participant for the Greek League All-Star Game in 2013.

Singular.

Giannis called his mother his "hero" during his acceptance speech for the 2019 MVP award. Silly, Khris Middleton told me, affectionately. This superstar is well-known for his amazing talents and strong work ethic, and with this type of talent, it is no surprise that he is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. Unfortunately, Charles passed away from a heart attack while in Milwaukee in 2017. Even to Giannis himself: I look at the blockHow the fuck did I do this shit? Even now, in an era of endless data, of advanced stats and tracking stats and inscrutable all-in-one metrics, the MVP debate still comes down to personal judgments and sensibilities: Do we just reward the guy with the best stats, or does his defense matter, too?

In order for me to get better, I leave this championship bullshit stuff in the past. He is back to playing basketball this fall. Giannis Antetokounmpo is GQ's Athlete of the Year.

But before he put those memories away entirely, I asked him if he could just give me one or twowere there moments, in retrospect, that had stuck with him?

How he was discovered as a gangly kid running around an Athens playground; how he didnt touch a basketball until he was 13.

The baby, whom many have speculated to be his own, is a mystery to many. She definitely didnt have access to any of it, Giannis said. It appears Six months before I came to the NBA, I was selling stuff in the street, Giannis told me.

But he was always wary of things becoming too easy. His own watch by Rolex.

All rights reserved. Well, this is what happened next: Most Improved Player (2017), Defensive Player of the Year (2020), two MVP awards (2019, 2020), and an NBA championship this past July. Then Giannis was in the delivery room again this past summer, marveling at what Mariah had to endure.

One challenge was to bring a championship here and we did, he told me.

Antetokounmpo has matured into a two-way player, capable of scoring, passing, and grabbing boards in addition to his scoring and passing abilities. It's irrelevant..

This would be an opportunity to never see another Milwaukee winter again. However, he spent his last season playing in the G-league. Additionally, Milwaukee Bucks extended their contract with Antetokounmpo for two more seasons, 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Damian Lillard. Im not there., A version of this story originally appeared in the December/January 2022 issue with the title "The One and Only Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Bryant didnt win one until 2008, four years after ONeal departed.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was born on December 6, 1994, in Athens, Greece.

Please watch me. You know? But Liam, Giannis decided, would be his own person, not a replacement for the father Giannis lost. His own watch, by Rolex. Its easy to leave., There is an aversion to easiness with Giannis that can go deep.

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After achieving his third triple-double for 2016-17, on April 10, 2017, he matched Kareem Abdul Jabbars record.

L.A., you know him. People dont know about this, but I did it. Epidurals? I am not in any way tired of viewing, discussing or writing about his basketball exploits.

Everybody was texting me: Leave the team, he told meother players, some of whom havent talked to him since he decided to stay.

Man, let me tell you one thing. He was waived by the Mavericks in 2019, and claimed by the Los Angeles Lakers with whom he would win an NBA title in 2020 becoming not only the first Greek-born player to win an NBA title, but also the first of the Antetokounmpo brothers to do so as well.

Antetokounmpo vowed his Nike Zoom Freaks shoe line However, this years 2020-2021 NBA preseason games offer more physicality and superstars are playing more often.

Milwaukee selected Giannis Antetokounmpo with the 15th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft.

It was so quick, most people missed what actually happened. Milwaukees title drought of 50 years came to an end last month when the Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA title.

One of one. Im being totally honest with you.

Malone, one of the greatest players of his era, had none.

You can make the case that James should have won MVP anyway, based on his superior production and efficiency, but you cant say he lost exclusively due to fatigue, when there were so many other factors at work. He is currently playing with ASVEL Basket in the French league.

A literal room, filled to the literal top, in a house with only a normal abundance of rooms. This is me. He said he could recognize a kind of struggle in Osakas eyes, even before she began speaking. Extended hospital stays? I ask, Can you give me that trash can? Throw up five times. They gave him an IVhe was so dehydrated it took them 45 minutes to find the vein.

Then he went back to the hotel and got a second one.

Luka scored 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in only 29 minutes of playing. Eff no. The NBA 2020-21seasonwillbegin on Tuesday, December 22. He also represented the national squad in EuroBasket 2015.

The replay shows Mavericks Dorian Finney-Smith accidentally Oscar covers his eyes/put's his hand on his head every time he feeds.

ET this coming Monday, Ill take a deep breath, file my ballot and happily close a few dozen browser tabsfatigued by the process, perhaps, but not by the choices.

Then all of a sudden here was this new being with his fathers name.

Postpartum doulas? He had a career-high average of 27 points during his first season. Giannis Antetokounmpo debuted for Greece, his homeland, when he was selected as a member of the Greek Under-20 national team in July 2013.

Its difficult for the family to come to terms with his death, which has left a void in their lives.

I build a gym right here..

His own suit by G. Papadogamvros. It seems clear that wedont mean MVP voters refusing to give the same guy repeat trophies: over the last 21 seasons, there have been seven back-to-back winners.

Fans and media went into a collective meltdown.

In athletic terms, the Denver Nuggets center wasdominant, collecting 22 points, 10 assists and 17 rebounds in a breezy victory over the Nets. However, Giannis Antetokounmpo did not get the opportunity to play for Zaragoza as he was picked up by Milwaukee Bucks as a preliminary draft just when he would have taken the field for the Spanish squad.

Yet what plagued James that year wasnt fatigue, butbacklash. Jordans team had the better record (69 wins to 64), but both were in No. Some of the jerseys are hung, proudly, on the wall; others are stacked haphazardly on a pool table or near the bar stocked with alcohol that Giannis doesnt drink.

(Also, unless youre a telepath, its pretty hard to discern the methodology and intentions of 100 strangers.).

He was the top ranking NBA rookie for the season, finishing the year with 61 blocks that made him eligible for the NBA All-Star Weekend Rising Stars Challenge held at New Orleans.

Giannis Antetokounmpo photographed on the Mediterranean Sea, at Costa Navarino, Greece.

He wants to be challenged., In the end Giannis decided to stay in Milwaukee because it was difficult.

This is from the MVP I won.

To start: what do we mean by voter fatigue, anyway?

He is best known for his association with the NBA basketball team, Milwaukee Bucks. The championship is over with. Charles was a strong presence in his sons life and provided him with the guidance and support he needed to pursue his dreams. But Giannis, in the past few years, began running up against the limits of hard work, he said.

All three are dominant. Even for me, it was extremely tough., Hes convinced that all the really good athletes are secretly in some form of therapy. I chose to stay here even with all the pressure because its easier to leave. Exploring The Possibilities, Mike Mancias: The Trainer Behind LeBron James Success.

He was unsure.

Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement unless specified. Dont even talk about me, dont even remember me.

The Milwaukee Brewers have announced that superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has joined the ownership group.

Antetokounmpo vowed his Nike Zoom Freaks shoe line will come in baby sizes. They work on anxiety. ESPN hadnt yet become a 24/7 conflict machine, so the MVP debate was not the frenzied, caustic, year-round affair we now see. He still thinks about Charles every day.

In early 2022, they welcomed their second child.

Giannis Antetokounmpo represented the youth team of Filathlitikos for three years, from 2009 to 2012. A journey unfathomable in its sheer improbability, its storybook ending, an ending that may in fact be just the beginning of something even more grand and unlikely.

The other day, Giannis was watching Naomi Osaka, the three-part Netflix docuseries, and was struck by the way the tennis star spoke about the challenges that have come with her success. Id appreciate any help you can provide 414-242-3069. Has redness in her eyes that doesn't go away after a few days and is sometimes accompanied by pain or sensitivity to light. 1 in their conferences, and on a collision course to meet in the Finals. The image was this: Everybody was celebrating, he remembered. Giannis and Thanasis began practicing basketball from 2007, onwards after Zivas, the general manager of Filathlitikos, assisted their parents in finding jobs. The then Filathlitikos coach, Panagiotis Zivach, recollects luring the brothers to present themselves for regular basketball training sessions by promising that hed find employment for their parents.

There were no advanced stats in the 1990s, no social media, no podcasts, and barely even an internet.

Antetokounmpo admitted in an interview that the real credit for his success and rise to stardom should go to Velliniatis. Oh and I forgot to mention baby#2is on the way and Im in for even more life lessons!

He turned to Middleton, whom hed been playing with since the very beginning, and said, Khris, we did it. He held the trophy for a moment.

This all needs to be stated because, as we move firmly into NBA awards season, you will hear endless allusions to voter fatiguethe supposed phenomenon in which ballot-wielding media members, bored with honoring a specific star, choose a fresh name. He worked his way up to the senior team. But Lynch notes that in 1993, Barkleys Suns won five more games than Jordans Bulls, and won the West by seven games, while the Bulls finished second in the East. Mav was in Gianniss lap. Charles Antetokounmpo was born outside of Greece, the father of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Now, Giannis, Thanasis and Alex are all members of the Bucks organization.

Seems especially clumsy.

Thats $300,000.

But I was telling myself that, Well, it's not just about being the best player..

When Giannis's name was called out, it was Thanasis who was by his side waving a Greek flag.

Now, he said, he was working on all the things greatness cost him.

Seeing what the body has to go through in order to bring this beautiful, sweet thing into the world, its insane, he said.

He was there with me. He said the lesson from his parents was: stay in motion.

The next challenge is, lets repeat. But what happens if you do repeat? My leg was the opposite way, Giannis said.

Alex decided to forgo college and went to play professionally in Europe before declaring for the NBA draft in 2021. It factors in everything from team record and games played to fancy metrics like Win Shares. You know when the birds go in the morning? Giannis said, quoting the joke.

Giannis always puts sunglasses on his baby for protection from the suns harsh rays.

(Full disclosure: Ive been an awards voter for most of the last 26 years, except from 2004-13, when I worked for the New York Times, which does not permit reporters to vote.).

Would he be any good?

And when he jumped to block Aytons shot, that was the leg he jumped off.

When?

What hard actually means.

His Airness wasnt vying for a three-peat that season, but hed won his fourth career MVP a year earlier.

Antetokounmpo and Riddlesprigger welcomed their second child together, son Maverick, on Aug. 18, 2021. Antetokounmpo, an Athens native who was drafted by the Bucks in 2013, moved to the U.S. with several of his family members and two of his brothers even Necklace, $16,000, by Tiffany & Co. Bracelet, $11,900, by Shay Jewelry. As part of his community service, he will be awarded the NBA Cares Community Assist Award in 2020. His forte includes reality TV shows, TV series, gaming, and sports.

I was fucking 18, Giannis said.

Fuck lockout. Not long ago, Giannis Antetokounmpo watched his partner, Mariah Riddlesprigger, give birth to their second son, Maverick, and when he saw Maverick he immediately burst into tears. He went between home and the facility, the facility and home.

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Bracelet, $17,700, by Shay Jewelry. Thats why its hard for people to talk to somebody and open up.

Giannis also became the first and only Greek NBA All-Star player to start an All-Star game. He is an elite scorer, a prolific shot-blocker, and a great passer.

Shorts, $2,250, by Loewe.

He had originally entered the draft with his younger brother Giannis, who was eventually drafted 15th overall by the Bucks.

Does that sound like fatigue?

All are worthy MVPs. I still feel it, and I think Im going to feel it until I die..

Go watch the tape.

Former commissioner David Stern gives Derrick Rose his hardware in 2011. LeBron is already pretty universally considered to be #2, and Steph and KD both have better top 5 arguments than Giannis (currently).

Derrick Rose.

The Packers Aaron Rodgers and the Heats LeBron James are part-owners of the team. Giannis visited Mayfair mall on Sunday in Wauwatosa, an interaction that quickly went viral and was posted on Antetokounmpo's own Instagram story.

It was basically, Wow, this guy does some wild stuff sometimes. He was regarded, in his early NBA days, as capable, not destined. Is it his own child?

He loves basketball but is not of basketball.

by Josef Castillo | Feb 14, 2023 | Famous Players. He worked as a street vendor and was the primary breadwinner of the family. Required fields are marked *. He had a one-season stint with the Delaware 76ers in the NBA G-League before finally being selected in the NBA Draft in 2014, taken in the second-round by the New York Knicks.

Moreover, Barkleys arrival that season had catapulted the Suns into title contention in the first place. He remembers his parents struggling very hard to make ends meet and support a family of

I was by myself., Scared of life!

I dont want to be the face of the league, he said, adamantly. That mattered? Sunglasses, $187, by Ray-Ban. He moves so gracefully around his own house, even with the leftover limp from his knee injury in last years playoffs, that you are forced to reevaluate how poorly youve been getting around all these many years on this earth: Am I walkingwrong?

Pendant necklace (throughout), his own.

Its tempting to chalk up every failed MVP repeat as proof of our collective boredom.

But Giannis found a place to sit again, by himself. I want to play great basketball. I never felt lonely in my life, and I was scared.

How much should we weigh games played? Soon he will have a basketball court, too, connected to it. And, notably, James would win two more MVPs, falling one vote shy of a unanimous coronation in 2013. He settled for leaning into my recorder, listing his endorsements, then going back to whatever story he was telling. Its true that only three NBA players have ever won three straight MVPs, as Jokic is aiming to do, and none since Larry Bird in the mid-80s.

No one got bored

Is there a better way?

Facebook He encouraged Giannis to work hard and to never give up, and his influence was instrumental in helping him become the NBA superstar he is today.

His sons were inspired by his leadership and a loving father.

He is already back out there, defending his title.

No one got bored with the Greek Freakhe just got eclipsed by a Serbian Savant.

LeBron James was also seen on the Lakers bench celebrating Horton-Tuckers amazing performance. He was again felicitated as the Eastern Player of the Week in December 2016, for his appearances from November 28to December 4.

Lebron James Spectacular Performance Seals Lakers Victory Over The Clippers, LeBron James: The One And Only Trade Of An NBA Superstar, Unveiling LeBron James Workout Routine: Combining Weights And Calisthenics For Maximum Athletic Performance, Exploring The Diverse Cast Of Characters In At&Ts New Commercial Featuring Lebron James, Boycotting LeBron James: Examining The Impact Of Political And Social Activism On Sports, Can You Fit LeBron James In A Wooly Mammoth? She and Giannis have been together since 2017 when they were first spotted at All-Star weekend in New Orleans. I love this community.

I came here, and I was scared. Or is it a friends? Giannis is one of five boys; looking at Mariah, he thought of his mother, who gave birth to her first son in Nigeria and then to four more after shed emigrated to Greece, doing so without most of the painkillers or other comforts Milwaukee hospitals use to help mothers ease children into the world. The market makes 6 to 10 percent every year Hes laughing., So, you can make, for the rest of your life, with that money you just spent, 24- to 30,000 a year, because thats what the market makes on average. The move was unprecedented for a player of James caliber.

After one season with Raptors 905, Alex was traded to the Wisconsin Herd, G League affiliate of the Bucks.

Despite the fact that Francis is the only child of Charles and was born during the professional soccer era, he followed in his fathers footsteps. Antetokounmpo's eyes flashed, and he walked back out of the room before reappearing seconds later to deliver his customary greeting. NBA MVP Milwaukee Buck Giannis Antetokounmpo became a proud dad for a second time to a baby boy, a little more than a month before the NBA season kicks off. Even his nickname: The Greek Freak. He signed a two-way deal and bounced back-and-forth between the NBA and the G-league in his rookie season. I cant fucking stop. In 2013, he was selected to play in the Greek Leagues All-Star Game as a single player.

As we talked, hed be deep into some anecdote and then wonder if he was supposed to promote his businesses, the sponsorships hes already acquired, the investmentslike the piece of the Milwaukee Brewers he just bought this weekhes already made.

The other common obstacle to repeating? He regards the usual perks of being a player in the modern NBApartying in the better Los Angeles clubs, recording in the better Los Angeles music studios, acting in Hollywoodas, basically, frivolous: Being in movies?

He was the integral playmaker for Milwaukee Bucks in his third year with the NBA team.

Having been raised in a close knit family as a child, Giannis constantly points to the love he has for his family and what they mean to him. All articles, images, product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. Thats often how it goes when two top-five talents occupy the same lineup. This happens more and more nowin dealing with himself, hes noticed how many other people are dealing with something.

Following his selection as a starter in an All Star Game, at the age of twenty-two, he became the youngest basketball player to do so in club franchise history. He was named to the Buck All-Star Game five times, in addition to his Buck teammates Thanasis and Sam.

We know what happened next, of course.

Shirt, $1,350, by Dior Men. In the following year, he was named Milwaukee Bucks star player. As a result, when he does something, he always remembers and honors his fathers legacy. Strikingly, the Trackeragreed with the MVPs streak ending in eight of the 10 cases. His combination of size, speed, and skill make him a nightmare for opponents as he can do it all on the court.

Sunglasses provide protection from UV rays, which can damage a babys He went undrafted, but he signed with the Toronto Raptors G-League affiliate, Raptors 905, following Summer League. Let me show you downstairs, he said, suddenly. After bouncing back between the Knicks and their G-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, the NBA Knicks decided not to renew Thanasis' deal and he left for Europe where he played with Andorra and Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos before the Milwaukee Bucks signed him in July 2019.

But without speaking for him, I think some of what he wanted me to understand was about the singular loneliness of the path. He became the fourth Bucks player to be selected as Eastern Conference Player of the Month after Sidney Monicrief, Terry Cummins, and Michael Redd.

After winning the NBA title, Milwaukee Bucks star forward/owner Giannis Antetokounmpo purchased a minority stake in the Brewers. He is currently the reigning MVP and has led the Milwaukee Bucks to the playoffs in each of his six NBA seasons. Space Jam, all this? His own watch by Rolex.

The death of Charles Antetokounmpo in 2017 was sudden and unexpected, leaving his family in deep mourning. Giannis beheld the inscription proudly: Thats big time, you know?, He is aware, if distantly, that by the hypermasculine competitive codes of the NBA, you are not supposed to venerate your competitors, let alone collect their jerseys, let alone adoringly read what those competitors write on those jerseys to note-taking reporters.

A family. Youre 18, he said. When you think about it from a basketball perspective, by the age of 26, this kid has accomplished everything, Saratsis said.

Durant, who joined the Warriors in 2016, forging a power-sharing arrangement that effectively ensured neither one of them would win MVP while they were teammates. ", Nick Metallinos is digital content producer for NBA Australia.

Look! Watch, his own. I don't acknowledge the existence of the phrase, says Bob Ryan, the former longtime Boston Globe reporter and columnist, who was an NBA awards voter from the 1980s through the 2000s.

In May 2021 the couple made the announcement that they were expecting a second child together.

I dont want it, though. He is intent on life itself, by which he means the painful stuff of existence, the stuff that neither money nor ability can finesse.

In Greece, they were undocumented, citizens of no nation. Malone had a robust case. You have your own country, Japan, that you got to carry on your shoulder. Down in the basement, he has a weight room.

They use a word or a phrase and he knows. After that, if I disappear in the night, good. (The Tracker gave Westbrook a mere 14.5 percent chance in his winning year, based on his teams low win total, but voters that year deviated from precedent to reward Westbrooks gaudy stats.) But I think hes genuinely like: Okay, I have reached the pinnacle. Antetokounmpo is one of the most beloved players in the league and his fans are eagerly awaiting his return to the court. They be like, Giannis doesn't care about this shit. His teammates have been around him enough to know that they dont really know him at all, he said. Go beyond it. LeBron had signed off with the sketch of a crown.