Giannis Antetokounmpo cried.
Antetokounmpo couldn't contain his emotions as his son slapped his knee during the final moments of Greece's Olympic qualifying win over Croatia at the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Piraeus, Greece, on July 7. The 29-year-old superstar was leading his country to the Olympics in men's basketball for the first time since 2008, but his emotions erupted as the time ticked down.
He cried again in the locker room.
For Antetokounmpo, representing his country has been important at nearly every opportunity since he found his footing in the NBA and with the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Olympics was always a goal.
His country is now honoring him. The Greek Olympic Committee named Antetokounmpo the flag bearer for the opening ceremony on July 26 along the Seine River in Paris, France. He will be the first athlete to walk in the Olympics opening ceremony, along with race walker Antigoni Drisviotti. Greece will head the parade of nations because of its long history with the sport.
Greece's Sport 24 reported that Antetokounmpo was unanimously selected for the honor.
This is a historic moment for Greece, as Antetokounmpo becomes the first black athlete to carry the Greek flag at the Olympic Games.
Antetokounmpo was asked about the possibility of raising the flag after the Croatia game.
“It's an honor,” he said. “If I'm the flag bearer, great. If not, oh well. I'm just happy to have a good coaching staff, a good team and to be at the Olympics. I just want to go out and compete, but I want to enjoy every moment.”
In 2016, sailing champion Sofia Bekatorou became the country's first female flag bearer.
The racism and fear experienced by Antetokounmpo's family, who was born in Greece but of Nigerian descent and grew up in the Athens suburb of Sepolia, is well known: He and his brother Thanasis were not granted citizenship until 2013, when they could have been drafted by the NBA. (Thanasis played in the G League in 2013 and was selected by New York in the 2014 draft.)
Because the Antetokounmpo family were illegal immigrants, former Bucks owner and U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (and a group of dedicated staffers) worked tirelessly with the U.S. State Department to bring the Antetokounmpo family to the United States.
Thanasis and Giannis have been the target of racist remarks in public, from right-wing politicians to TV commentators, dating back to 2013. In a 2018 social media post responding to the slanders against Thanasis, Giannis wrote: “Negative comments should not change our love for our family and the country we grew up in. My brothers and I are Greek-Nigerian and that's all. We will continue to represent our country the best way we can.”
Kostas Antetokounmpo, who is also a member of the Greek national team, was finally granted citizenship in 2016. Their youngest brother, Alex, and their mother, Veronica, were granted honorary citizenship in 2021.
Veronica and her late husband Charles moved to Greece in 1991.
