Who is Giannis Antetokounmpo's father? Here's what we know about the man who raised NBA's Greek Freak
54-year old former Nigerian footballer Charles Antetokounmpo, father of NBA’s Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo, expired on 2017 September 2017 after suffering a heart attack.
Giannis, who has always underlined the importance of his father throughout his NBA career, propelled himself to greater heights and won the NBA MVP award back-to-back in 2019 and 2020.
This was followed by the Milwaukee Bucks’ championship winning season last time around, as Giannis starred with some memorable performances throughout the regular season and the playoffs.
While his father might not have been around to watch his son through the best time of his career, we look at everything we know about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s father, who died on 29th September 2017, three years ago.
Giannis said he would sacrifice his NBA career & all of his success to go back to selling CDs on the streets of Greece, just to have his father back.
Charles Antetokounmpo passed away in October 2017 after suffering a heart attack. He was 57.
Extremely powerful quote ❤️🙏 https://t.co/g25qoW0y7Y
Who was Giannis Antetokounmpo’s father? Everything we know about Charles Antetokounmpo
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 a high jumper. The couple migrated to Greece and fathered a total of 5 boys, with Giannis the oldest of the lot. Charles was a successful football player, although not a lot of information is available about his career.
Regardless, Charles was of Yoruba Nigerian ethnicity while his wife was of the Igbo ethnic group. Not much information is available about the marriage and family life of the Antetokounmpo family, although 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.
Regardless, 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.
On the day he signed his supermax extension with the @Bucks, the largest contract in NBA history, @Giannis_An34 was wearing a necklace with a photo of his late father Charles.
I would imagine he’s smiling down as a pretty proud father today. https://t.co/G6VQkoBVxo
Regardless, while there is not a lot of information available about Charles Antetokounmpo, it is clear that he shared a deep bond with his eldest son and was crucial to Giannis’ successful NBA career. Giannis is one of the few elite stars who have maintained loyalty to a single franchise, with years of hard work finally paying off last season as the Bucks won their first NBA championship in 51 years.
“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.”
While his father might not have been around to celebrate, Giannis and his family still look up to him, as is obvious from his interviews through the years.