Kostas Antetokounmpo

Kostas Ndubuisi Antetokounmpo (AHN-teh-tuh-KOOM-poh; Greek: Κωνσταντίνος Αντετοκούνμπο) (born November 20, 1997)[1] is a Greek professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. He was drafted 60th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2018 NBA draft, and his draft rights were then traded to the Dallas Mavericks.[2] He attended and played collegiate level basketball in the United States for the Dayton Flyers. Two of his older brothers, Giannis and Thanasis, both play for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[3]

Kostas Antetokounmpo
No. 37 – Los Angeles Lakers
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1997-11-20) November 20, 1997
Athens, Greece
NationalityGreek / Nigerian
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High schoolDominican
(Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin)
CollegeDayton (2017–2018)
NBA draft2018 / Round: 2 / Pick: 60th overall
Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–2019Dallas Mavericks
2018–2019→Texas Legends
2019–presentLos Angeles Lakers
2019–present→South Bay Lakers
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early years

Antetokounmpo was born in Sepolia in Athens, Greece. His parents were immigrants from Nigeria. As a youth, he began playing the sport of basketball with the junior youth teams of Filathlitikos, in Athens.

High school career

After his older brother Giannis was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2013 NBA draft, Antetokounmpo, along with his parents and his younger brother, Alexis, moved to Milwaukee. He attended Dominican High School in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin,[4] where he played high school basketball during his junior and senior years. As a senior, he led his team to a state championship.[5]

College career

After high school, Antetokounmpo moved on to play college basketball at the University of Dayton. In the 2016–17 season, his first with the Flyers, he was red-shirted,[6] after being ruled a "partial qualifier",[7] due to having spent his first two years of high school in Greece.[8] He debuted in the 2017–18 season,[9] averaging 5.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.2 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game, in 15.1 minutes per game.[10]

Professional career

Dallas Mavericks / Texas Legends (2018–2019)

On March 22, 2018, Antetokounmpo declared for the 2018 NBA draft.[11] On May 4, 2018, Antetokounmpo would be one of a record-high 69 players to enter the NBA Draft Combine.[12] Antetokounmpo was projected to be a second round selection, similar to his older brother Thanasis, due to his lack of notable progress in his redshirt freshman college season. He would ultimately wind up being the last pick of the 2018 NBA draft, after being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers, only to then be immediately traded to the Dallas Mavericks.[13][14] Antetokounmpo would later sign a two-way contract on July 13. Throughout the contract, he will split his playing time between the Mavericks and their NBA G League affiliate, the Texas Legends.[15] He made his NBA debut on March 20, 2019 in a 118–126 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[16]

On July 19, 2019, Antetokounmpo was waived by the Mavericks.[17]

Los Angeles Lakers / South Bay Lakers (2019–present)

Antetokounmpo was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Lakers on July 22, 2019.[18][19]

National team career

Antetokounmpo played with the junior Greek Under-20 national team. He played at the 2016 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship Division B, where he won a bronze medal.[20] During the tournament, he averaged 1.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game.[21]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Dallas 205.5.000.000.500.5.01.0.01.0
Career 205.5.000.000.500.5.01.0.01.0

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Dayton 29621.1.574.133.5162.9.4.21.15.2

Personal life

Antetokounmpo was born in Athens, Greece, to Nigerian parents. He officially became a full Greek citizen in 2016.[22] In addition, along with his younger sibling, Alexis, he has a Nigerian passport, which was granted to him in June 2013, so that he could gain a visa, and be allowed to legally enter into the United States.[23]

His late father, Charles, was a former Nigerian soccer player, while his mother, Veronica, was a high jumper.[24] Charles died in September 2017, at age 54.[25] His parents are from different Nigerian ethnic groups—Charles was Yoruba, and Veronica is Igbo.[26] His oldest brother, Francis, is also a professional soccer player. He is a younger brother of Milwaukee Bucks players Giannis and Thanasis. He is also the older brother of Alex.[27] As a youth, Antetokounmpo played for the junior clubs of Filathlitikos, which also developed his older brothers Thanasis and Giannis.

References
  1. Ndubuisi Antetokounmpo DOB: 20 Nov.1997 Place of birth: Athens (GRE).
  2. "Kostantinos Antetokounmpo". RealGM. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  3. "Lakers claim Giannis' younger brother, Kostas". ESPN.com. September 11, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  4. Stewart, Mark (February 15, 2016). "Kostas Antetokounmpo making a name for himself at Dominican". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  5. "Kostas Antetokounmpo – 2016–17". Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  6. "Dayton's Kostas Antetokounmpo ruled ineligible for 2016–17". Mid-Major Madness. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  7. "Kostas Antetokounmpo ruled ineligible for Dayton". CollegeBasketballTalk. October 3, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  8. Kostas Antetokounmpo may have to sit the 2016–17 season out.
  9. "Kostas Antetokounmpo College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  10. "Kostas Antetokounmpo". ESPN. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  11. Givony, Jonathan (March 22, 2018). "Kostas Antetokounmpo to test NBA draft waters". ESPN. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  12. "Some of college basketball's biggest names highlight NBA draft combine list". Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  13. Jablonski, David (June 21, 2018). "Dayton draft drought ends as Antetokounmpo chosen with last pick". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  14. "Mavericks acquire draft rights to Ray Spalding and Kostas Antetokounmpo". mavs.com. June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  15. "Mavericks sign Kostas Antetokounmpo to two-way contract; waive Jalen Jones". National Basketball Association. July 13, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  16. "Lillard scores 33 points, Blazers beat Mavericks 126–118". National Basketball Association. March 20, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2019.
  17. "Mavericks waive Kostas Antetokounmpo". mavsmoneyball.com. July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
  18. "Report: Lakers claim Kostas Antetokounmpo off free agency waivers". NBA. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  19. "Lakers Awarded Kostas Antetokounmpo on Waiver Claim". Los Angeles Lakers. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  20. "archive.fiba.com: Players". archive.fiba.com. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  21. "Ndubuisi Antetokounmpo profile, FIBA U20 European Championship 2016 | FIBA.COM". FIBA.COM. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  22. matrix24.gr Βγάζει ελληνικό διαβατήριο ο Κώστας Αντετοκούνμπο (in Greek).
  23. gazzetta.gr Η χαλασμένη καφετιέρα (in Greek).
  24. "NBA Rookie Wants To Bring Hope To Greece, And To Milwaukee". NPR. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  25. "Trail Blazers vs. Bucks – Game Recap – October 21, 2017". ESPN. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  26. Spears, Marc J. (March 5, 2019). "'The Greek Freak' wants to go back to his Nigerian roots". The Undefeated. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  27. Archdeacon, Tom (September 23, 2017). "Flyers' Kostas Antetokounmpo tries to live up to his name". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
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