Growing up without an identity and struggling daily to survive is the origin story of basketball Super star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
His parents, Charles and Veronica Antetokounmpo, emigrated to Greece from Nigeria. Their immigrant status made it difficult to find stable employment, and without stable employment they could not be named Greek citizens, trapping them in a vicious circle.
Their situation ultimately led them to poverty. Providing money and food for the family became their collective goal.
In a interview with ESPNGiannis Antetokounmpo reflected on his childhood: “I had been selling things since I could remember, since I was six or seven years old.
“I was always out of the house, trying as much as I could to help my mother and father by selling watches, glasses, CDs, DVDs and whatever I could find. I did that until I was 17 because I had to. I had no other choice. When I was selling all these things, I was the best seller.
“My secret was that I would never give up. I would keep asking people until I could convince them to buy something. It also helped that I was young and kind.”
Since Antetokounmpo lived in extreme poverty, he grew up thinking he had nothing to lose and so he did everything he could to get money for his family.
He slept in the same bed as his brothers Thanasis, Alex and Kostas, because the family could not afford a bigger house with more rooms.
Over the years they lived there, they always feared being kicked out of the house because they sometimes didn’t have enough money to pay the rent.
