Source: Kevin C. Cox / Getty
Giannis Antetokounmpo is about to become an even bigger star.
The Greek-born basketball player became an MVP for the first time this year despite getting kicked out of the eastern conference semifinals by the Miami Heat who were eventually defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. But now, with the season past him and with some free time before the season starts up again in December, he’s getting into Hollywood.
No, he won’t actually star in a movie, but Disney is currently developing a biopic about the basketball player’s life as well as his brother Thanasis. He took to Twitter to make the announcement and put out a casting call for people who look like him and his brother.
The live-action film will aptly be called Greek Freak, and his life story is pretty amazing. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 15th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, and though he was a lanky wide-eyed kid, he’s since grown into his frame and has become a defensive monster. But before he even stepped foot in the United States, his life back in his native Greece proved to be just as formative. His parents left Nigeria for a better life in Greece, which led to Giannis and his brothers making money by selling sunglasses, hats, and bags on the street.
While in the NBA Bubble, he commented that while being stuck on the Disney campus is tough, it’s still better than his past– despite so many other players complaining.
“I’m in a situation where I’m extremely blessed and I cannot complain,” Antetokounmpo said. “Obviously, it does not matter where you are in life, there is always something to complain about, there is always a problem and an issue. But I try to kind of not focus on that.”
Greek Freak will be directed by Nigerian filmmaker and writer Akin Omotoso but there’s no word when the film will release to the public or Disney+.
