This year, “Rise” will make its Disney+ debut.
During a recent visit to Walt Disney Studios, Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family saw an early edit of the film that chronicles their journey.
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Antetokounmpo tweeted on Monday night, “Cannot wait to share it with the world,” along with a photo of himself and his brother Thanasis with his mother, Veronica.
I spent an amazing day to Disney Studios, where I saw an early cut of the movie that was about my family’s story. I am eager to spread the word about it to everyone.
Akin Omotoso (Vaya) is the film’s director; Bernie Goldmann is the producer; and Giannis Antetokounmpo is the executive producer.
The movie, which was formerly called “Greek Freak” but was then changed to “Rise,” blends Greek identity, Nigerian heritage, and extraordinary physical prowess.
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The Antetokounmpo family’s journey from Nigeria to Greece and finally the United States will be chronicled in the movie. The inspirational tale of how a family aided in the professional development of three NBA champions—Giannis, Thanasis, and Kostas—will be told.
While their brother Kostas won the championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, Giannis and Thanasis, who both play for the Milwaukee Bucks, are the 2021 global champions.
“After emigrating to Greece from Nigeria, Vera and Charles Antetokounmpo struggled to survive and provide for their five children, while living under the daily threat of deportation,” reads a press release from Disney+ that details part of the movie and journey. The couple, who were desperate to become Greek citizens because their oldest son was still living with relatives in Nigeria, were thwarted by a system that refused to give them Greek citizenship at every opportunity. The boys would sneak away to play basketball with a local youth team when they weren’t selling goods to visitors on the streets of Athens alongside the rest of their family, as encouraged by their father. Despite being latecomers to the sport, they put in a lot of effort to become elite athletes after seeing their incredible potential on the basketball court. Giannis was a long shot candidate when he entered the NBA Draft in 2013 with the assistance of an agent, but it would change not just his life but the lives of his entire family.