Milwaukee Bucks star player and 2021 NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday for a special ceremony to grant Greek citizenship to his mother, Veronica, and younger brother Alex.
The ceremony was held at the prime minister’s official residence.
The 20-year-old Antetokounmpo, although born in Greece, did not have Greek citizenship, due to the country’s notoriously restrictive requirements for becoming a citizen. His eldest brother however, was granted citizenship in 2013, allowing him to join the Bucks in the United States.
During the ceremony, The Greek PM noted that the citizenship granted to the Antetokounmpo family, “reflects the Greece that we want.”
“The Greece that tries, fights, and overcomes difficulties, and keeps her family together. It is the Greece that makes us all proud,” Mr Mitsotakis said.
Antetokounmpo shared some words with the press after the ceremony, explaining the family’s joy on the decision to be granted honorary citizenship.
“We always felt Greek, but now we have an official stamp and we are happy,” Antetokounmpo told reporters after the ceremony.
“Alex and my mum are Greek citizens now.”
In August , Antetokounmpo made his way over to Greece with his brother Thanassis, taking with him the NBA championship trophy they had won with the Bucks.