Giannis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo have a very peculiar sibling relationship where fans and the media usually criticize Thanasis for using his brother’s appeal to his advantage. Recently, Giannis revealed on the Thanalysis show that he rejected a deal with Adidas for Nike because of his brother.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP and one-time NBA champion, had backed out of a deal with German sportswear giant Adidas because they won’t sign his brother, Thanasis Antetokounmpo. Ironically, the Greek Freak was just a prospect at the time.
We were waiting for 45 minutes, and then he brought the contract and he put it in front of me. I was like, 'Ok, great, [but] where is my brother's?' And he was like, 'No, we're not going to sign your brother today. We will sign yours first, and then we'll bring your brother during the weekend to sign his.' No, thank you. Giannis Antetokounmpo said
Both brothers were trying to build a career for themselves as they turned up for a team in Greece’s 2nd division. When approached, Giannis felt that the deal ended severely because the agent at the time knew of their financial constraints and tried to use it to his advantage. His decision to join Nike was because the company understood the importance of his family to him.
Furthermore, since signing with Nike in 2013, the relationship has grown from strength to strength with the launch of his signature Nike Zoom Freak line in 2019. It’s safe to say that Adidas’ loss has been Nike’s gain, even though some would claim Thanasis has better job security than most people.
Giannis once honored his brother Thanasis with an All-Star tribute
During the recent All-Star Game, Giannis wore a red and white Kobe 4s, and on the shoe was an inscription that demonstrated how he values his older brother, Thanasis. The inscription read: “Thanasis, thanks for sharing.”
It also depicted their rag-to-riches story as they had it tough while growing up and couldn’t afford individual pairs of sneakers, so Thanasis had to share his with Giannis when needed. Such was their story while growing up in Greece.
Fast forward to now, and both have lucrative shoe deals and can afford anything they want and need. Giannis recognized his potential early enough to reject an early deal with Adidas for his brother.
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