Greek-Nigerian basketballer, Giannis Antetokounmpo, has been named the NBA’s most valuable player of the 2018-19 season.
The 24-year-old was presented the award on Monday night.
The ‘Greek Freak’ wept on stage as he paid a moving tribute to this late father Charles, who died in 2017.
“I want to thank my dad. Obviously, my dad is not here with me. Two years ago, I had a goal in my head that I was going to be the best player in the league and do whatever it takes to help my team win, and I’m going to win everything.
“Every day I step on the floor, I always think of my dad and that motivates me and pushes me to play harder and move forward.
“Even when my body is sore, even when I don’t feel like playing, I always show up and do the right thing.
“I want to thank my team, my team-mates. MVP is not about stats and numbers. It is all about winning and all about making sure you go out there and do everything you can to win. I think that is what we did as a team,” he said.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was born in Athens, Greece, on December 6, 1994, the son of immigrants from Nigeria.
His parents had moved from Lagos to the Greek capital three years before his birth.
