GIANNIS

Inspiring biography of the NBA superstar known as the Greek Freak.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (b. 1994) grew up desperately poor, the son of a Nigerian soccer player who might have played in Germany had he not suffered a career-ending injury and wound up in Greece instead. It’s a nice touch, then, that Fader—herself a former collegiate basketball player—opens her narrative with a view of family life inside Giannis’ 10,000-odd-square-foot home outside Milwaukee. As the author shows, his path to those opulent surroundings was improbable. He wanted to play soccer but was recruited to play basketball. He wasn’t particularly good at first: “Giannis couldn’t dribble. Didn’t understand basketball. His hands seemed to be ahead of his feet. He’d trip over himself. The ball would trickle off his knee. He’d carry the ball.” What made the difference was an indomitable work ethic, humility, and a generosity of spirit that kept him from hogging the ball and the glory. An NBA scout noted these qualities even as he observed that Giannis “had incredible length but also that he was uncoordinated.” Even so, he pushed for Giannis’ recruitment, and in time the Milwaukee Bucks drafted him—a deal made all the more complicated by the fact that Giannis was undocumented and did not have a Greek passport. The youngest player in the draft, Giannis was a quick study. Early on, Grantland founder Bill Simmons summed up his potential: “Seeing the Greek Freak in person is like seeing Young Scottie Pippen crossed with Young Kevin Durant crossed with an octopus. He’s only 20, takes 10 yards per step, plays four positions, has Freddy Krueger arms, might pass the 7-foot mark soon and basically doesn’t have a genetic parallel.” He won the MVP Award twice and, in 2021, he carried the Bucks to the NBA championship for the first time in 50 years. Fader does a good job of relating this rags-to-riches story without cliché, and her commentary on the game is spot-on.

Just the thing for the Bucks fan in the household and an accomplished piece of sportswriting.