Who is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s father? Know all about the legendary Charles Antetokounmpo
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Charles Antetokounmpo and Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks marquee star may be a “freak of nature” on the court but he was known to be one of the soft-hearted people around his loved ones. He was very close to his father – Charles Antetokounmpo, to whom he dedicated his 1st NBA Championship back in 2021.
Giannis lost his father on 29th September 2017 and the athlete has always underlined the importance of his father throughout his NBA career. He propelled himself to greater heights and won the NBA MVP award back-to-back in 2019 and 2020.
Charles was in Milwaukee when he took his last breath. He was 54 at the time when a heart attack took him away from his family. Giannis made a huge push from 2017 onwards, as he made his 1st All-star appearance in 2017 and broke many individual accolades in the seasons thereafter. While his father might not have been around to watch his son through the best time of his career, we look at everything we can elaborate on about Charles Antetokounmpo.
Charles Antetokounmpo an inspiration behind Giannis Antetokounmpo’s success
Charles Antetokounmpo was born in Nigeria on 3rd August 1963. He spent much of his childhood in his hometown of Lagos and married Veronica Antetokounmpo, who was an athlete in the field – high jumper. The couple migrated to Greece and fathered a total of 5 boys: Francis, Thanasis, Giannis, Kostas, and Alex. Charles was a successful football player.
With athleticism running in his family, Giannis has his parents to thank for his freakish athletic ability and endurance. Giannis Antetokounmpo has also revealed in past interviews that his father played a huge role in his training as a child and that he initially wanted him to become a footballer like him, but the near 7-footer went for basketball instead.
Giannis Antetokounmpo claimed after his father’s death that he would go back to selling CDs if that meant that his father would still be alive. A month after Charles’ death, Antetokounmpo scored a then-career-high of 44 points against the Portland Trail Blazers, a performance that he dedicated to his father.
He went on to continue dominating the league winning back-to-back MVP awards in 2019, and 2020. Giannis is one of the few elite stars who have maintained loyalty to a single franchise and years of hard work finally paid off last season as the Bucks won their first NBA championship after 51 years in 2021. Heavy-hearted Giannis said that time, “It’s been a year daddy, so many things have happened since the day you left for a better place and I know you been watching down on us with a smile just like the one in the picture. I think about you every single day.”
On the day of his demise, Milwaukee Bucks released a statement, “The Bucks family is heartbroken about the sudden death of Giannis’ father, Charles,” General manager Jon Horst said in a statement. “The entire organization, his teammates, and coaches are here to support Giannis and his family during this incredibly difficult time. Charles was a big part of the Bucks and will be terribly missed by us all. On behalf of ownership, we express our utmost condolences and offer our prayers to Giannis and his family.”
While his father was not around to celebrate the success, Giannis and his family still look up to him, as is obvious from his interviews through the years.
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Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)