Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is an international superstar, but his likeness was defaced by Nazi symbols in his home country of Greece. Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Giannis Antetokounmpo graffiti in Greece vandalized with Nazi symbols

Originally posted on Sportress of Blogitude
By Jason Rowan | Last updated 6/25/20

Graffiti art in Athens celebrating Greek superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has been vandalized with Nazi symbols, as shared in a Eurohoops report.

The vandalism surfaced on the one-year anniversary of Antetokounmpo winning the 2019 NBA MVP award in his seventh season with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Unknown vandals defaced the tribute by scrawling out Antetokounmpo’s face and adding a swastika and S.S. symbols to the NBA star’s right arm. The graffiti art is located in the Palaio Faliro Municipality outside of Athens. It was created through an Athens initiative called “Pictures and Dreams.”

This is terrible. Neo-nazis vandalized @Giannis_An34's awesome graffiti in Palaio Faliro district in Athens, painting over his face and adding a swastika and the SS symbol. pic.twitter.com/KEoz5MzLSb
— The Greek Analyst (@GreekAnalyst) June 25, 2020

The vandalism marks the second known time that graffiti celebrating Antetokounmpo, a native of Athens, has been damaged with neo-Nazi iconography. A similarly styled graffiti tribute was vandalized in the Sepolia neighborhood of Athens in 2017.

Neonazis sprayed a nazi-cross on @Giannis_An34's graffiti in Sepolia, Athens, #Greece #antetokounmpo #fearthedeer pic.twitter.com/LrFKFwhrJC
— BILLakos (@billaros) September 2, 2017

There is an abundance of street art tributes to Antetokounmpo throughout his native Greece, including one that was recently updated in tribute to “The Greek Freak” participating in protests against systemic racism and police misconduct in the U.S.

From Sepolia to Minneapolis
"We Can't Breathe!"

In the old neighborhood of @Giannis_An34, who recently took part in the U.S. protests, the well-known graffiti in Tritona's basketball court has been enriched sending yet another message.#BlackLivesMatter #icantbreathe pic.twitter.com/6A8nnJh3A2
— Covid19energoi (@Covid19energoi) June 9, 2020

Amazing graffiti art of @Giannis_An34 and his brothers in his birthplace: Sepolia, Athens. #Antetokounmpo #GreekFreak #GoBucks #FearTheDeer #NBATwitter #NBA #graffite #FIBAWC pic.twitter.com/9etYNsDbGv
— Stefanos Marolachakis (@marolas30) August 12, 2019

The impressive graffiti on Sepolia stadium of Giannis neighborhood. Athens-Greece. @BucksFans5 @Bucks @CraigCoshun pic.twitter.com/ZnCE1dTQbO
— Κ.Ζιόβας (@kostasziovas) March 6, 2019

The son of immigrants from Nigeria, Antetokounmpo was born in Athens on Dec. 6, 1994. He began playing basketball in 2007 and eventually starred with Athens youth team Filathlitikos in 2009. The four-time All-Star and 2019 MVP and All-NBA First-Team member was taken by the Bucks with the No. 15 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.

This article first appeared on Sportress of Blogitude and was syndicated with permission.

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