Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo is a Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association. Antetokounmpo’s country of origin, in addition to his size, speed, strength, and ball-handling skills have earned him the nickname “Greek Freak”. Antetokounmpo is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards and one of the greatest European players of all time.
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Born and raised in Athens to Nigerian parents, Antetokounmpo began playing basketball for the youth teams of Filathlitikos in Athens. In 2011, he began playing for the club’s senior team before entering the 2013 NBA draft, where he was selected 15th overall by the Bucks. In 2016–17 he led the Bucks in all five major statistical categories and became the first player in NBA history to finish a regular season in the top 20 in all five statistics of total points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. He received the Most Improved Player award in 2017. Antetokounmpo has received seven All-Star selections, including being selected as an All-Star captain in 2019, 2020, and 2023 as he led the Eastern Conference in voting in these three years.
One of the most decorated players in NBA history, Antetokounmpo won consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Awards in 2019 and 2020, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to win two MVPs before turning 26. Along with his MVP award, he was also named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, becoming only the third player after Michael Jordan (1988) and Hakeem Olajuwon (1994) to win both awards in the same season. In 2021, Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to their first NBA championship since 1971 and was named Finals MVP. The same year, he was honored as one of the league’s greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
The film Rise, based on the life of Antetokounmpo and his family, was released in 2022.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Girlfriend: Meet Mariah Riddlesprigger
In May 2021, Riddlesprigger launched her own apparel brand Sincerely, Mariah, a collection of loungewear pieces inspired “by all of the remarkable people” she’s met over the years. During an interview with Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, Riddlesprigger explained that she first started working on the brand while Antetokounmpo was in the NBA bubble.
The couple welcomed their first son together, Liam, on Feb. 11, 2020. Liam is regularly spotted cheering on Antetokounmpo at his games alongside Riddlesprigger and was even on hand to celebrate his dad’s victory when the Bucks took home the NBA title in July 2021.
In September 2021, Riddlesprigger announced that she and Antetokounmpo had welcomed their second child together on Instagram. The mother of two posted a sweet photo of Liam giving his newborn brother a kiss, writing in the caption, “My boys ???? Being your mama is my greatest joy! I hear it’s national son’s Day and I’ll take any chance I get to celebrate you two little sour patch kids!”
A few months later, she revealed the name of their second son on Instagram: Maverick Shai Antetokounmpo.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Riddlesprigger attended Rice University in Houston, Texas, from 2010 to 2014, where she graduated with a degree in sports management and sociology. As a student, she worked in the NBA Summer League as an intern for two consecutive years. After graduation, she worked in basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Antetokounmpo is not the only athlete in the family. Riddlesprigger played volleyball in both high school and college as an outside hitter. During her senior year of high school, Riddlesprigger was named team captain and team MVP before going on to play volleyball at Rice University.
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