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Published 13:46 IST, July 21st 2021

When was Giannis drafted? Here's all you need to know about Giannis Antetokounmpo

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks won the 2020-21 NBA Finals by defeating the Phonix Suns 4-2 and Giannis was named the MVP of the finals.

Reported by: Prithvi Virmani
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Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo has worked and developed himself to become one of the best players the NBA has seen. Coming from foreign lands as a skinny unknown and facing questionable competition to winning two back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards and now finally winning the most sought-after NBA Championship ring as they defeated the Phoenix Suns 4-2 in the finals, after being down 0-2 at the start, Giannis scored an insane 50 points and 14 rebounds to help them win Game 6 and seal their place in NBA history. NBA Champion Antetokounmpo has truly come a long way and has carried his team to many playoffs. So let's have look at where it all started and life before he came to be the MVP of the NBA Finals, his girlfriend, his NBA playing brother, salary, and net worth.

When was Giannis drafted?

Back on April 28, 2013, Antetokounmpo at the age of 18 years and 218 days, officially made himself eligible for the NBA Draft that year. Giannis was about 6 feet 9 inches tall and weighed just 190 pounds when he was picked by the Bucks as a 15th overall pick and on July 30, 2013, he signed his rookie scale contract with them. Antetokounmpo then went on to make his debut on October 13, 2013, at the age of 18 years 311 days, as one of the youngest players in the NBA ever. In his rookie season, he averaged 6.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 77 appearances. He scored in double figures 23 times and grabbed at least 10 rebounds twice, with both efforts resulting in double-doubles. He finished the season with 61 total blocks, which led all NBA rookies, and was the seventh-most by a Bucks rookie in franchise history. At the season's end, he was named in the 2013-14 NBA All-Rookie second team.

It is fair to note that the Greek Freak grew from a skinny 6 feet 9 inches to a freakishly tall and big 6 feet 11 inches and weighs 242 pounds now and surprisingly has the third-largest hands (9.85/12 inches) in NBA history behind just Shaq (10.25/12 inches) and Boban Marjanovic (10.75/12 inches).

The other Antetokounmpo in the NBA

Thanasis Antetokounmpo is Giannis' oldest brother and gets to play with him at the Milwaukee Bucks as a small forward and power forward. They both got to share an experience of a lifetime when they lifted the NBA title on July 21. Thanasis signed for the Bucks on July 16, 2019, and has since been in and out of the team.

Giannis' girlfriend and mother of his child

Giannis Antetokounmpo's girlfriend Mariah Riddlesprigger was a volleyball player and never wanted to be a typical 'supermodel girlfriend'. Liam Charles, nicknamed 'Baby Freak', is the couple's son, who was born in February last year, and the couple is expecting their second child soon. Riddlesprigger, 28, who was born in Fresno, California in September 1992, shared the news on Instagram this May.

Greek Freak's net worth and salary

Giannis has come a long way from hawking watches, sunglasses, and bags in the streets of Athens to now having an estimated net worth of $100 million in 2021. He earns about $39.3 million as his salary after he signed a five-year supermax deal worth $228.2 million with the Bucks in December 2020 which is reportedly the largest deal in NBA history.

(Image Credits: @NBA - Twitter)

Updated 13:46 IST, July 21st 2021