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WhatsApp to debut short film 'Naija Odyssey' featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo: Here are all the details

Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best players in the NBA right now. He's a multi-millionaire who has achieved global success thanks to his incredible basketball skills and humility. The former NBA champion and Defensive Player of the Year averaged 29.9 points, 11.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists in the regular season last year.

Giannis was born in Greece to parents of Nigerian descent. Like many NBA superstars, Giannis struggled a lot while growing up. His parents found it difficult to provide for him and his four brothers.

“The Greek Freak. That’s not me, that's not all of me.”

Naija Odyssey 🇳🇬 x 🇬🇷 The cross-culture story of Giannis by WhatsApp.
Stream Sept 21 | @PrimeVideo https://t.co/NtSZ6ZarLQ

Fortunately, that phase of his life has ended. However, NBA fans will have a chance to go through Giannis Antetokounmpo's touching and inspiring life story through this film.

Take a look at some of the details you need to know about Giannis' "Naija Odyssey" film that releases on Sept. 21.


Giannis Antetokounmpo's journey revealed in 'Naija Odyssey'

Despite living in the United States, Giannis Antetokounmpo has strong ties to both Greece and Nigeria. While he was born in Greece, his parents spent a huge part of their lives living in the African country.

"Naija Odyssey" is a short film which features the Bucks superstar's life story. The Greek Freak talks about everything he went through to get to where he is today.

"Naija Odyssey" is a great title for a film on Giannis. Naija is a reference to Nigeria and the people who live there. Odyssey is a Greek poem about Odysseus, a Greek hero who faced many obstacles on his way back home. Like Odysseus, Antetokounmpo faced many challenges growing up.

The film will be available on Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday, Sept. 21.


Antetokounmpo had nowhere to go

Despite being born in Greece, Giannis did not receive Greek citizenship. He wasn't a Nigerian citizen either, so he had nowhere to go. He did not have documents from either country and was left stateless.

Giannis was granted Greek citizenship two months before he was drafted by the Bucks (Image via Getty Images)
Giannis was granted Greek citizenship two months before he was drafted by the Bucks (Image via Getty Images)

Fortunately, Greece granted him citizenship in May 2013, two months before the 2013 NBA Draft. Giannis Antetokounmpo was drafted as the 15th overall pick in the draft and just a few years later, he became one of the best players in the NBA.

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