In June of 2013, a spindly Greek forward with a five-syllable last name was researching real estate in Atlanta. Giannis Antetokounmpo believed he was ticketed for the first round of the NBA draft and it was the Hawks, with a pair of picks in the back half of the round, he suspected were most likely to take him. Hours before the draft, Antetokounmpo’s phone rang. It was then-Bucks GM John Hammond, calling to let Antetokounmpo know Milwaukee was interested. Giannis, with little understanding of the U.S. landscape, did what anyone would: He Googled Milwaukee.
It’s fitting then that eight years later, Giannis has put the Bucks on the basketball map.