From being stateless and unable to obtain Greek citizenship until turning 19 to carrying the Greek flag at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s journey is truly remarkable. It included difficult bureaucratic processes and even his last name change from Adetokunbo to Antetokounmpo.
When Greece secured its spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics by dominating the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Piraeus, Giannis Antetokounmpo was deeply moved by the historic moment.
Giannis wiped away tears as he watched his teammates, Greek fans, and his family celebrate the qualification.
It had been 16 years since Greece last had the opportunity to compete for an Olympic medal in basketball.
In 2024, Giannis proudly serves as Greece’s Olympic flag bearer, leading a large delegation of Greek athletes at the Opening Ceremony. He represents a nation with a rich basketball culture and a storied sports history.
Mirin Fader chronicled the challenging moments leading up to Giannis’s recognition as a Greek citizen in her book Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP .
Antetokounmpo was born in Athens in 1994. His parents were of Nigerian descent and illegally moved from Lagos to Greece in 1991.
Although Giannis and his three siblings were born in Greece, none of them qualified for a Greek passport.
This situation prevented Giannis from playing abroad or representing Greek clubs as a local player. It also closed off opportunities for him to showcase his skills to NBA scouts at camps outside Greece.
When rumors about the Greek prodigy began circulating before the 2013 NBA draft, Giannis could not even apply for a US visa to participate in the draft.
He also had an agreement in place with Zaragoza from Spain but could not travel outside the country without a passport.
Giannis faced challenges turning pro without citizenship papers, and the process stalled in Greece. At the time, few in Greece could foresee his potential NBA success.
His agents and coaches, however, recognized his talent and worked tirelessly to ensure he had opportunities on the basketball court. Alongside the Greek Basketball Federation, they aggressively lobbied local authorities to expedite his citizenship.
Former Greek basketball player and coach Giannis Ioannidis, then deputy culture minister for sports, played a pivotal role.
Ioannidis informed Antonis Samaras, the Greek prime minister at the time, about Giannis’ potential international career, including a contract offer from Zaragoza. Yet, obtaining the necessary paperwork proved to be a lengthy challenge.
Samaras barely knew who Giannis was. It seemed like an improbable task despite hearing rumors about an extraordinary young kid of Nigerian descent playing basketball somewhere in the second Greek division and rising fast.Moreover, the timing was unfavorable for such requests, coinciding with an election year and Greece handling the issues related to illegal immigration amid a severe financial crisis. This political climate made authorities hesitant to make exceptions or take risks.
Initially, efforts focused on obtaining a passport for Giannis’ brother Thanasis, aiming to make him eligible for the Greek U21 team, but these efforts were unsuccessful.
As progress stalled for Giannis, Willy Villar, sporting director at Zaragoza, who had signed Giannis to a long-term contract in Spain, collaborated with Giannis’ agents to explore options for obtaining Spanish citizenship.
According to Mirin Fader, Villar was prepared to pursue any avenue necessary to bring Giannis to Spain.”What was largely underreported was that the Greek government began to speed up the process only once they realized that not only did Giannis have NBA potential but that Giannis and his team had reportedly turned to the embassy of Nigeria, hoping to gain citizenship here,” Fader wrote in her book, emphasizing that Giannis still always prioritized obtaining the Greek citizenship.
“The possibility of him playing for Nigeria’s national team – and not Greece’s national team – and playing for Zaragoza as a Nigerian player may have added more pressure,” Fader continued.
“Still, it was the potential NBA career that largely motivated the government to finally fast-track Giannis’s citizenship, given that Giannis performing well in the NBA could benefit Greece.”
Giannis and his brother Thanasis were granted a special exemption and received their Greek citizenship papers on May 9, 2013, just 39 days before the NBA draft.
Greek officials changed their last name from Adetokunbo to Antetokounmpo during this process, adopting a more traditional Greek-sounding name
Now, all four Antetokounmpo brothers have turned professional. Giannis has not only led his national basketball team to the Olympics but also has the honor of carrying the Olympic flag for the entire Greek sports delegation in Paris.
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