Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP by Mirin Fader

    For the first post on our blog, I read Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP, a recently released biography by Mirin Fader, which covers Giannis Antetekounmpo's life, from birth up until his 2020 NBA MVP. This book covers how Giannis faces and deals with poverty, racism, and xenophobia, all while trying to become the best basketball player he can be.

    This book begins with Giannis and his family in Greece, hopping from once house to another, dodging rent collectors, trying to sell items on the streets just to make enough money for everyone to eat food that day, an achievement that Giannis's family almost never accomplishes. Initially Giannis and his 3 brothers are attracted to soccer, as their father, Charles, was a former professional soccer player. One day Giannis is spotted by a professional basketball coach from a local team and is asked, along with his brother Thanasis, to join the team. The coach offered both of Giannis's illegal immigrant parents compensation if Giannis agrees to play. Giannis agreed, one of the many family focused decisions he has made throughout his life. 

    Giannis, while at first unskilled, is dedicated to becoming better and making money for his family. Giannis and Thanasis have to share a pair of shoes, as their parents don't have enough money to afford a second pair. Giannis dedicated himself to the sport and spent hour in the gym, improving greatly. Through learning about Giannis, you can learn a lot about dedication and how you can become great at things you once thought you could never do. 

Above: Giannis before NBA, Giannis in his MVP season

    While improving at basketball, Giannis constantly had to fear him or his family being deported, attacked, and not having enough food. His parents had illegally immigrated into Greece, and they could be deported at any time without warning. A prominent neo-Nazi organization in Greece, Golden Dawn, had attacked and killed many black Greeks, and has been known in the past to frequent areas around Giannis's neighborhood. Giannis had to avoid Golden Dawn, whilst also avoiding the police. Even after that, Giannis and his family still had little to no food. There were many times where Giannis's basketball coaches had to ask if he had eaten that day to make sure he had food. One time he went over to a friend's house and had rice for the first time, and he believed it to be a delicacy.

    Even once Giannis was good enough to make it to the NBA, there were still problems. Lots of teams didn't want to risk drafting him, as he had yet to acquire a passport, so he couldn't leave the country. Along with that, due to him starting basketball late in his life, he played for a small team and no one watched him play. Those that were able to see him play had trouble judging how good he was, as the quality of competition was low and all the video that existed of him was blurry and unclear. Even though he was good enough to play in the NBA, there were a lot of teams that were unsure they wanted to draft him.

    This book is a great biography of Giannis Antetokounmpo's life and journey to the NBA MVP. It is really interesting to see many of the things he had to go through, along with where he is today. Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP is a really good book, and I highly suggest reading it.

- Collins Rosch