Tag: Giannis Antetokonumpo

The Agada brothers step into the big shoes of the Antetokounmpo family in Disney+’s new Giannis biopic, Rise

The Agada Brothers step into the shoes of the Antetokounmpo brothers in “Rise” on Disney+

If there’s one word that describes the story of the Antetokounmpo family, it’s impossible. When you watch “Rise” — the Disney+ movie based on Giannis’ life — it puts “impossible” into context.

His parents, Charles and Veronica, left Lagos in 1991 in search of a better life. They immigrated to Athens, Greece. They only brought their son, Thanasis, with them. They left his newborn brother, Francis, behind with his grandparents because of the grueling journey they were about to face.

Eventually, they started a family. Giannis, Kostas and Alex were born. And, as a family, they made a living. Charles worked odd jobs left and right trying to work his way up to becoming a documented Greek citizen despite being denied at every turn. Meanwhile, Veronica and the boys sold trinkets, glasses and watches to tourists all day on the streets just to try and get by.

The four brothers slept in one bed. Their parents slept on the couch. They had to take quick showers to conserve water. They made choices between paying rent on time or having a car to get around.

That all seems unreal, but what’s even more unreal is the fact that Giannis first picked up a basketball in 2008. By 2013, he was a first-round pick in the NBA draft. He changed his entire family’s lives with one decision. That’s incredible.

It’s hard to put yourself in those shoes where you’ve got to make those sorts of choices for literal survival. And, not just for yourself, but for your family. I cannot fathom it.

So instead of trying, I talked to a couple of people who can — at least, in a sense.

Brothers Uche and Ral Agada were absolute stars in “Rise.” Uche played the role of Giannis and Ral played Thanasis and the two absolutely crushed it.

Playing the Antetokounmpo brothers is hard. It’s emotional. “I didn’t know how hard it was for them being undocumented,” Ral Agada told For The Win in our conversation together.

Through all the struggles, all the hardships and all the obstacles, the family somehow still persevered. And now they’re thriving.

The Agada brothers talked to me about what it was like to step into those shoes for a minute and how this all came together. What follows below is our conversation.

This conversation has been edited for accuracy and brevity

7 of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s best dad jokes, which he can’t stop telling

These are such good dad jokes.

The Greek Freak isn’t just one of the NBA’s best players.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has also become the MVP of telling dad jokes.

Whether it’s on Milwaukee Bucks flights, or just after games, or with reporters, he’s all about those corny jokes that we all roll our eyes at but laugh anyway, and it’s somehow 10 times better when he tells them.

So as For The Win’s resident dad joke expert (just ask my colleagues), I had to collect his best dad jokes and put them in one place, because he’s just killing it with these things.

Here are a bunch he’s told this year:

NBA spread outlook: The Grizzlies are streaking. Who can trip them up?

The only thing more impressive than the Grizzles’ winning streak is their run against the spread

No NBA team is hotter than the Memphis Grizzlies right now. Amid an impressive 11-game winning streak—featuring victories over heavyweights like the Suns, Nets, and Warriors—Memphis is doing it all. Ja Morant looks like the NBA’s next great superstar while a third-ranked offense (112.3 points per game) is humming along, unimpeded.

Morant knows his team has got something special cooking.

However, an old adage remains true: Good teams win, but great teams cover. And that’s a test a young Memphis team has also passed with flying colors of late.

In addition to that glowing winning streak, the Grizzlies have covered the spread in eight straight games against the Spurs, Nets, Cavaliers, Pistons, Clippers, Lakers, Warriors, and Timberwolves. It’s actually been so long that Memphis has not failed to cover a spread since last year (get it?).

What’s been particularly eye-opening is how few and far between the close calls have been. Save for a narrow 110-106 road win over the Cavaliers where they just barely covered a +3.5 spread; the Grizzlies have paced themselves so far ahead of everyone else. Even big underdog bets like +6.5 on the road against Brooklyn simply haven’t mattered.

But, as they tend to do, all good things must eventually end. There will come a time in the coming days where the Grizzlies, as good as they are, do fail to cover the spread. Morant might have an off night. An opposing sixth man might go nuclear. It happens, especially in a night-to-night league like the NBA. And while the Grizzlies will still undoubtedly be a good team, we might have to, at least temporarily, revoke that coveted “great” label.

Such is the nature of the sports betting beast.

The main reason the Grizzlies’ exceptional eight-game cover streak might soon come to an end? A daunting upcoming schedule. It starts tonight at home against Luka Doncic’s Mavericks (-2.5 at Tipico.)

At 22-19, Dallas has been far from what anyone would call a juggernaut this season. But the Mavs are always dangerous as long as they have a talent like Doncic at the helm. With more of a mediocre defense compared to their high-powered offense, it’s quite possible the creative Doncic alone drives a dagger into the Grizzlies’ streak.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t get any easier after Doncic and company leave Memphis because the East-leading Bulls come to town on Monday. Guards DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine are playing like sure All-Stars, if not potential starters in the All-Star Game. Factor in an otherwise deep lineup centering around big man Nikola Vucevic, point guard Lonzo Ball, and microwave scorer Coby White, and Memphis should have its hands full there, too.

Two days later, on Wednesday, the Grizzlies go to Milwaukee to play the defending NBA champion Bucks. Now, there are litmus tests and benchmarks to surpass, and then there’s covering a spread against the last team to win the final game of the entire season. Call it a hunch, but one has to think reigning Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will want to send a message in what could certainly prove to be a Finals preview when all is said and done.

Ja Morant’s Grizzlies have arrived, and then some. If they can somehow continue to cover the spread against one of the league’s best players and two Eastern Conference heavyweights, then they deserve even more shine.

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Anthony Edwards’ NSFW description of Giannis Antetokounmpo was so hilarious but completely accurate

Couldn’t have said it any better.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is absolutely unguardable.

Sure, it’s not in the way that you’d typically think of a player being unguardable. He’s not, say, drilling 3-pointers in your face like Steph Curry. He’s not crossing you into next week like Kyrie Irving or James Harden.

He’s just physically dominating you like some sort of twisted combination of Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James that just feels like it shouldn’t be possible. And, honestly, defending that might be a bit worse than watching someone hit a stepback 3-pointer on you.

You know there’s absolutely nothing you can do. Here’s a look at what that looked like via his shot chart from Wednesday against the Timberwolves.

He absolutely dominated the paint.

Now here’s what it feels like, via a perfect NSFW description from Anthony Edwards.

WARNING: There is A LOT of NSFW language in this tweet.

“With a guy like that, you can’t stress about him scoring. That’s what he’s gonna do. M*********** is 7’2, 280 pounds, like there ain’t nothing you can do about it. Like s***, we put four people on him, m************ still scored the ball…I ain’t never seen nothing like it. You can put four people on him, he might miss it, jump right back up and dunk that b****. I mean, like, it’s nothing you can do about it…I can’t even say we contained him. He still went for 40.” 

It’s the last line that really drives it home, though.

“There’s nothing I can say about Giannis, man. He’s unstoppable.” 

And that’s what it sounds like to guard Giannis Antetokounmpo.

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