‘Greek Freak’ Giannis Antetokounmpo ended the Milwaukee Bucks 50-year championship drought and Denver Nuggets’ big man Nikola Jokic of Serbia took home MVP honors as international players dominated headlines in the 2020-2021 NBA season.
The dynamic Antetokounmpo, who was born in Athens to Nigerian immigrant parents, delivered a 50-point masterpiece in Game Six of the Finals to capture the title nL1N2OX06Z that had eluded the Bucks for so long.
The feat was all the more impressive because it looked like his season was done when the towering twice league MVP hyper-extended his left knee in the conference finals.
But he bounced back from the injury and is now a legend in Sepolia, the run-down Athens neighborhood he grew up in. A giant mural of Giannis dunking a basketball is painted on the court where he and his brothers played and practised.
Giannis and brother Thanasis, who also plays on the Bucks, brought the Larry O’Brien trophy back to Greece during the off-season and were greeted by throngs of fans.
(Reuters)
