“ We don't know who we are until we know where we come from. » Thus opens, with images of waves in slow motion, the documentary dedicated to the first voyage of Giannis Antetokounmpo in his parents' country of origin, Nigeria.
A trip taken last summer, in the company of his mother Veronica, captured up close with the Bucks superstar. Produced in partnership with… WhatsApp and available on the messaging YouTube channel, this film, lasting 31 minutes, is entitled “Ugo: A story of coming home”. This is a reference to the NBA player's Nigerian birth name.
The documentary follows the two-time MVP, “ extremely nervous » as he leaves the plane, arrives on site, goes to meet his family and immerses himself in the country. With sometimes comical scenes where, on the Lagos market, he tries to bargain for the purchase of his own jersey. The salesman in front of him knows the Bucks player's name perfectly… but doesn't realize he's standing in front of him!
“ Many people know that I represent the Greek national team and call me the 'Greek Freak', but they have never seen this side of me. My parents are Nigerian. When I grew up, it was a Nigerian household. I grew up in Nigerian culture “, recalls player to USA Today.
It is recalled that his mother, Veronica, and his father, Charles, now deceased, left Lagos for Athens in 1991 in the hope of a better future for themselves and their family, after having difficulty finding employment . Their son Giannis was born three years later in the suburbs of Athens.
Already in September 2022, Giannis Antetokounmpo had sought to highlight these roots in a short film, also declaring: “ I like being a 'Greek Freak' but I'm also a 'Nigerian Freak'. » « It's time for people to understand that I'm both », he demanded when he had not yet set foot in Nigeria.
