By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Giannis, the kid from Sepolia, dreams of giving the new generation what he was deprived of when he was a child.
Giannis from Ilion, an Athenian suburb of low-income residents, dreams of becoming a professional athlete when he grows up.
Basketball can fulfill the dreams of both.
The AntetokounBros Academy makes the Antetokounmpo family’s vision a reality. The community benefit program combines sports skills and life skills, offering development opportunities for children from vulnerable families.
The program includes weekly basketball training under the guidance of Head Coach, Evina Maltsi, but is not limited to the four lines of the court. Experiential workshops, theoretical analysis of the game, and inspirational speeches help the development of the participants and their motivation to conquer their dreams. Participants can also claim athletic and educational scholarships.
At the age of 14, Giannis Simopoulos received the scholarship giving during the third season of the AntetokounBros Academy. Thus, he became an athlete on the Eurohoops Academy team.
Through the cooperation of the basketball academy of Theodoros Papaloukas, he also became a student at the Leonteios School of Athens. In his first year at his new team, Giannis and his teammates won the promotion to a higher local division and the bronze medal in the Junior Championship, scoring the winning three in the biggest game of the season. But it’s not just his talent that makes him stand out, though. It is his humility, hard work, and enthusiasm. Characteristics which certainly make Giannis Antetokounmpo proud.