It's really difficult to find worthy inspirational role models in the crazy world we are living today... You see a lot of talented people today... However, some of them are snob, others get into drug/alcohol addiction and many of them get carried away by wealth/fame... Today I am going to tell you a story of a worthy inspirational role model. The story Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Giannis was a poor kid born and raised in Athens, Greece by African parents of Nigerian descent. His parents travelled all the way from Nigeria to Greece seeking  for a better life as in Nigeria they were living near extreme poverty levels... Giannis grew up together with three of his four brothers in the working-class district of Sepolia (Athens, Greece). 

His childhood years were really tough... In order for him to help his hard-working parents make ends meet, Giannis and his older brother Thanasis peddled watches and other trinkets to tourists in the Greek capital. However, he didn't feel sad/angry doing this... He didn't ask questions on why he had to go through this while other kids were having a much better life than him... He did this with a smile on his face. Looking back on his childhood years, Giannis said: "It wasn’t easy every day, but my childhood was filled with love from our parents and the unity of our family helped us overcome all the obstacles life can throw at you. We’re united like a team, and solid like a rock."

Giannis parents raised their children by instilling them with the values of hard work, and taught them to appreciate and embrace their dual cultural background. To underscore the latter, they gave all of their Greek-born children Hellenic names: Thanasis, Giannis, Kostas and Alexis.

In 2007, Giannis followed his father’s advice and began to play basketball. It didn’t take long before he became one of the rising stars of the third division basketball club of Filathlitikos. His coach at Filathlitikos described Giannis as a very talented kid who had "extreme" work ethic. You see, all these difficulties that Giannis faced during his childhood made him stronger as a person. 

Giannis had to do several sacrifices for the sport of basketball when he was a young kid. The sports hall was located more than one and a half hours from his house, and he couldn’t afford the bus tickets to go home to have lunch. In order to be able to practice several times a day, he put an old mattress in the sports hall so that he could stay there and do his homework and get some rest before the evening session. He was so into basketball and was prepared to make any sacrifice that was demanded of him. A few times, he even stayed and slept in the sports hall...

Giannis had big dreams when it came to basketball: the biggest of all was going to the NBA. After posting some videos on the internet in 2013 and passing through a few American recruiters in Zografou, Antetokounmpo was eligible for the NBA draft that same year.  Joined by his brother Thanasis at the 2013 NBA draft, Giannis finally made it to the NBA. He was drafted at number 15 going to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Giannis was a really skinny rookie NBA player and not  that skillful compared to other rookie players of his draft class. However, he was a talented player who had a legendary work ethic. Soon enough his work ethic made him one of the best NBA players to ever play the game of basketball. In 2019, Giannis won the Most Valuable Player award, which is given to NBA players of exceptional talent. SInce his rookie year, Giannis gained 51 pounds of muscle (23 kg) and became a matchup nightmare for opponent players. Due to his freakishly athletic ability, he was given the nickname "Greek Freak". 

Giannis Antetokounmpo is an exceptional athlete whose story should be an example to everyone. You don't have to be a basketball player to appreciate his story. Giannis, is an MVP of life... He managed to turn his life around, due to his hard work and humble personality. What more can you ask for???  He is indeed a worthy inspirational role model!