Giannis Antetokounmpo was the star man for the Milwaukee Bucks in his team’s NBA triumph over the visiting Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. The Bucks won the NBA championship for the first time in 50 years after winning 105-98. The last time they won it was in 1971.
Antetokounmpo scored 50 of his team’s points in the 105-98 Game 6 win, making it the third game in this series that the Nigerian-Greek star has scored at least 40 points and had 10 rebounds, according to Marca. Born in Greece to Nigerian parents in 1994, Antetokounmpo’s rise in the NBA has made him one of the highest-paid NBA players.
The Nigerian-Greek professional NBA star has a net worth of $70 million and an annual salary of $45 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. His earnings come from endorsement deals and the salary he makes playing for the Bucks.
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In 2017, he signed a long-term endorsement deal with Nike that brings millions of dollars. Aside from Nike, he has other endorsement deals. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he makes at least $10 million from endorsement deals.
Antetokounmpo reportedly made $35 million from salary and endorsements between June 2017 and June 2018. Also, he made $43 million between June 2018 and June 2019. In 2016, he signed a four-year $100 million contract with the Bucks.
In 2020, he signed a record-breaking, five-year supermax contract extension deal with the Bucks. At $228.2 million, this was said to be the largest deal in NBA history. The basketball star’s agent, Alex Saratsis, told ESPN Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski that the deal also includes an opt-out after the fourth year.
From humble beginnings, Antetokounmpo was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 15th overall pick in 2013 following a stint with Greek basketball team Filathlitikos.
In an interview with The Undefeated in 2019, Antetokounmpo spoke about his upbringing in a Nigerian household in Greece and how it has shaped his life.
“I grew up in a Nigerian home,” he said. “Obviously, I was born in Greece and went to school in Greece. But at the end of the day when I go home, there is no Greek culture. It’s straight-up Nigerian culture. It’s about discipline, it’s about respecting your elders, having morals.”
And though the NBA star is yet to visit his parents’ home country of Nigeria, he expressed his desire to go there soon.
“I want to see where my family comes from, where my mom was raised, see my family, see where my dad was raised. That is very important. I hope my kids can do the same thing for me,” he said. “Obviously, I am going to have kids that are going to grow up in the U.S., but one day I hope they can go back [to Greece] and visit and see where I grew up, the playground I was playing.”
