A Country Rejecting Its Children: The Lost Antetokounmpos of Greece banksnews.gr - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from banksnews.gr Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The “Lost Antetokounmpos” of Greece
Giannis and his brother Thanasis in Sepolia, Athens. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY 2.0
There are thousands of kids in Greece like Giannis Antetokounmpo who, along with his brothers, was effectively stateless for the first 18 years of his life, having no documents from either Nigeria or Greece since his parents had reached the country illegally.
Antetokounmpo a second-generation immigrant born and raised in Sepolia, Athens was given Greek citizenship after he was drafted into the NBA in 2013.
” width=”1080″>The Greek government at the time realized the marketing potential that his talent would bring to Greece, and therefore gave him the papers that would enable him to travel to the US and pursue his dream.