Giannis Antetokounmpo came to his older brother’s defense amid a racism controversy unfolding in his home country.
Giannis’ older brother, Thanasis, plays professional basketball in Greece for Panathinaikos. His team defeated Olympiakos last week. Afterwards, a TV personality who is an Olympiakos fan, called Thanasis a “monkey.” He says he did not mean it in a racist way, but he’s still receiving plenty of backlash anyway.
Giannis posted on Instagram Thursday in defense of his brother. He wrote a message in Greek, which according to EuroHoops, says:
“Above everything, Thanasis I want to apologize to you. Because I know that what I’ll write will attract attention to you, which is something I know you don’t want. However, I’m sure that if dad was here, he would be very disappointed if I chose to keep quiet.
“I’ve lost sleep the past days because of the racist incident which took place recently. If this could happen to Thanasis, who proudly represents the Greek National Team and Panathinaikos always having a smile, then I can’t imagine what happens to other people of color in Greece. I am deeply saddened and disappointed.
“However, we must not let negative comments alter our family and our love for the country in which we grew up. I and my brothers are Greek/Nigerians and that’s it. We will continue to represent our home country in the best way possible.”
Both brothers were born in Greece, though their family is from Nigeria. Giannis is a Greek citizen and plays for the Greek national team. Thanasis, who was drafted by the Knicks in 2014, was a Greek League All-Star this year and also plays for the country’s national team.
Tip via Big Daddy
