From the 60th pick to an NBA champion
In short: In the 2018 NBA draft, Kostas Antetokounmpo was the very last player selected. Yet, despite being a second-round projection, he would eventually secure an NBA championship ring, making history as the first Greek-born player to achieve the feat.
Born in Athens to Nigerian immigrants, Kostas Antetokounmpo’s journey to professional basketball was marked by significant transitions. His father, Charles, a former Nigerian soccer player, and his mother, Veronica, a high jumper, raised a family that would eventually become a basketball dynasty. Following his brother Giannis's move to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2013, Kostas moved to Wisconsin, where he played high school basketball at Dominican High School and later for the Dayton Flyers.
His path to the NBA was not linear. After being a 'partial qualifier' in college due to his early years in Greece, he entered the 2018 NBA draft as the 60th and final pick. Initially drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers and then traded to the Dallas Mavericks, he earned the nickname 'Mr. Fantastic' while playing for the Texas Legends in the G League. His professional trajectory saw him move through various prestigious clubs, including ASVEL Villeurbanne in France, Fenerbahçe Beko in Turkey, and Panathinaikos in Greece.
The pinnacle of his American career arrived in 2020 when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers. During that season, he became part of a historic moment for Greek basketball, winning an NBA championship alongside his brothers, Giannis and Thanasis, who would win their own titles with the Milwaukee Bucks the following year. Since his time in the NBA, Kostas has continued to compete at the highest levels of European basketball, playing for clubs such as UCAM Murcia and Olympiacos, and eventually signing with Aris Thessaloniki.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Kostas Antetokounmpo
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