The 26-year-old “Greek Freak,” Giannis Antetokounmpo, is being credited for bringing Milwaukee its first NBA championship in half a century. Scoring 50 points, the Nigerian and Greek citizen lead the Milwaukee Bucks 105-98 win over the Phoenix Suns. With the victory, the Bucks clinched the NBA Finals 4-2 and winning the best-of-seven championship series.

His parents emigrated from Nigeria and settled in Greece in 1991, three years before his birth. His father was Yoruba and his mother is Igbo, but as African immigrants, finding a good paying job was not easy no matter their ethnic identification. To help supplement the family’s income, the future NBA star and some of his siblings would sell watches, handbags, and sunglasses in the streets. 

Though he was born in Greece, under Greek laws, he remained a stateless person until he became a citizen when he was almost 20-years-old. "Obviously, I was born in Greece and went to school in Greece. But at the end of the day when I go home, there is no Greek culture. It’s straight-up Nigerian culture. It’s about discipline, it’s about respecting your elders, having morals,” he told EurWeb. He now holds dual Greek and Nigerian citizenship.