Overview

The story of Giannis Antetokounmpo's extraordinary rise from poverty in Athens, Greece, to superstardom in America with the Milwaukee Bucks-becoming one of the most transcendent players in history and an NBA Champion-from award-winning basketball reporter and feature writer at The Ringer Mirin Fader. As the face of the NBA's new world order, Giannis Antetokounmpo has overcome unfathomable obstacles to become a symbol of hope for people all over the world; the personification of the American Dream. But his backstory remains largely untold. Fader unearths new information about the childhood that shaped ""The Greek Freak""-from sleeping side by side with his brothers to selling trinkets on the street with his family to the racism he experienced. Antetokounmpo grew up in an era when Golden Dawn, Greece's far-right, anti-immigrant party, patrolled his neighborhood, and his status as an illegal immigrant largely prevented him from playing for the country's top clubs, making his NBA rise all the more improbable. Fader tells a deeply human story of how an unknown, skinny, Black Greek teen, who played in the country's lowest pro division and was seen as a draft gamble, transformed his body and his game into MVP material. Antetokounmpo's story has been framed as a feel-good narrative in which everyone has embraced him-watching him grow up, sign a five-year supermax contract extension worth $228 million, and lead the underdog Bucks to the NBA Championship in 2021. Giannis reveals a more nuanced story: how lonely and isolated he felt, adjusting to America and the NBA early in his career; the complexity of grappling with his Black and Greek identities; how he is so hard on himself and his shortcomings-a drive that fuels him every day; and the responsibility he feels to be a nurturing role model for his younger brothers. Fader illustrates a more vulnerable star than most people know, a person who has evolved triumphantly into all of his roles: father, brother, son, teammate, and global icon.

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9780306924125

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Reviews

For years, I have admired Mirin Fader's ability to tell a long-form journalism story. I'm happy (and unsurprised) to say her skillset has translated over perfectly to books. This book is engaging, smart, and unputdownable. --Shea Serrano Around the time that the Greek Freak was busting out in the NBA, Mirin Fader was doing the same thing in her line of work. In a journalism world that had become more and more about opinions, Fader decided that she would be a storyteller, and she invariably spins her tales with vividness and clarity, fueled by endless curiosity. --Jack McCallum, author of Dream Team Giannis the basketball player is almost too good to be true--and so is his story, told here with vivid writing and meticulous reporting. Mirin Fader's portrait of the young superstar is as graceful, understated, and powerful as Giannis himself. A superb biography. --Jonathan Eig, author of Ali and Luckiest Man Mirin Fader gives readers a gorgeous portrayal of one of the most unique talents to ever play professional basketball. But Giannis is more than just the comprehensive story of a once-in-a-generation athlete. It is the story of how American promise intersects with iron will, and heartwarming vulnerability. --Jemele Hill, host of Jemele Hill Is Unbothered Mirin Fader traces an upbringing marked by deep family ties, extreme poverty, racism, and xenophobia. Like its subject, this biography is serious, engaging, and, more than anything, inspiring. --Ben Golliver, author of Bubbleball The stories. My goodness, the stories. Mirin Fader's ability to find and tell the most illustrative and humanizing tales really shines through. A player this great deserves his story to be told like this. --Marcus Thompson, author of Golden and KD We think we know everything about modern-day superstars. We're sure we know everything about modern-day superstars. Then along comes Mirin Fader with this nuanced, detailed, revealing portrait of a man who has lived one hundred lives in twenty-six years. A fantastic read that proves most dreams go unaccomplished without toil, despair, grit, and an unyielding quest to soar. --Jeff Pearlman, author of Three Ring Circus and Showtime

Around the time that The Greek Freak was busting out in the NBA, Mirin Fader was doing the same thing in her line of work. In a journalism world that had become more and more about opinions, Fader decided that she would be a storyteller, and she invariably spins her tales with vividness and clarity, fueled by endless curiosity. It's no surprise, therefore, that Giannis is an organic union of subject and writer. --Jack McCallum, author of Dream Team Mirin Fader gives readers a gorgeous portrayal of one of the most unique talents to ever play professional basketball. But Giannis is more than just the comprehensive story of a once-in-a-generation athlete. It is the story of how American promise intersects with iron will, and heartwarming vulnerability. --Jemele Hill, host of Jemele Hill Is Unbothered The stories. My goodness, the stories. Fader's ability to find and tell the most illustrative and humanizing tales really shines through. Giannis will expose you to the man behind the superstar. She paints an excellent picture of where his drive comes from and what's beneath all that talent. Fader makes you feel him, understand him. A player this great deserves his story to be told like this. --Marcus Thompson, author of Golden and KD Giannis the basketball player is almost too good to be true--and so is his story, told here with vivid writing and meticulous reporting. Mirin Fader's portrait of the young superstar is as graceful, understated, and powerful as Giannis himself. A superb biography. --Jonathan Eig, author of Ali: A Life, and Luckiest Man: The Life and Death of Lou Gehrig Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most important basketball figures of the 21st century, and Mirin Fader tells his gripping coming of age story with crisp and compassionate writing. Through extensive interviews with many who knew Giannis before he became a global sporting icon, Fader traces an upbringing marked by deep family ties, extreme poverty, racism, and xenophobia. Like its subject, this biography is serious, engaging and, more than anything, inspiring. --Ben Golliver, Washington Post National NBA writer and author of Bubbleball We think we know everything about modern-day superstars. We're sure we know everything about modern-day superstars. Then along comes Mirin Fader with this nuanced, detailed, revealing portrait of a man who has lived one hundred lives in twenty-six years. A fantastic read that proves most dreams go unaccomplished without toil, despair, grit, and an unyielding quest to soar. --Jeff Pearlman, author of Three Ring Circus and Showtime

Around the time that the Greek Freak was busting out in the NBA, Mirin Fader was doing the same thing in her line of work. In a journalism world that had become more and more about opinions, Fader decided that she would be a storyteller, and she invariably spins her tales with vividness and clarity, fueled by endless curiosity. --Jack McCallum, author of Dream Team Giannis the basketball player is almost too good to be true--and so is his story, told here with vivid writing and meticulous reporting. Mirin Fader's portrait of the young superstar is as graceful, understated, and powerful as Giannis himself. A superb biography. --Jonathan Eig, author of Ali and Luckiest Man Mirin Fader gives readers a gorgeous portrayal of one of the most unique talents to ever play professional basketball. But Giannis is more than just the comprehensive story of a once-in-a-generation athlete. It is the story of how American promise intersects with iron will, and heartwarming vulnerability. --Jemele Hill, host of Jemele Hill Is Unbothered Mirin Fader traces an upbringing marked by deep family ties, extreme poverty, racism, and xenophobia. Like its subject, this biography is serious, engaging, and, more than anything, inspiring. --Ben Golliver, author of Bubbleball The stories. My goodness, the stories. Mirin Fader's ability to find and tell the most illustrative and humanizing tales really shines through. A player this great deserves his story to be told like this. --Marcus Thompson, author of Golden and KD We think we know everything about modern-day superstars. We're sure we know everything about modern-day superstars. Then along comes Mirin Fader with this nuanced, detailed, revealing portrait of a man who has lived one hundred lives in twenty-six years. A fantastic read that proves most dreams go unaccomplished without toil, despair, grit, and an unyielding quest to soar. --Jeff Pearlman, author of Three Ring Circus and Showtime

Author Information

Mirin Fader is a senior staff writer for The Ringer. She wrote for Bleacher Report from 2017 to 2020. Her work has been honored by the Pro Writers Basketball Association, the Associated Press Sports Editors, the U.S. Writers Basketball Association, the Football Writers Association of America, and the Los Angeles Press Club. She was named a Top Women in Media in the ""Up and Comer"" category in 2019, and her work has been featured in the ""Best American Sports Writing"" series. Fader has profiled some of the NBA's biggest stars, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant, Brandon Ingram, and LaMelo Ball, but she focuses more on the person rather than the player. Her approach is that she writes about people who happen to play sports, telling the backstories that shape some of our most complex, most dominant, heroes.

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