THE LARRY O’BRIEN AND BILL RUSSELL TROPHIES MADE THEIR WAY TO GREECE. THE ANTETOKOUN-BROS ATHE T ACROPOLIS IN ATHENS. THREE BROTHERS, THREE NBA CHAMONPIS, AND ONE PROUD MOMN I VERONICA ANTETOKOUNMPO. IT’S ONE OF THE GREAT STORIES IN ALL OF SPOS.RT ONE AT WTHILL BE MADE INTO A DISNEY MOVIE CALLED GREEK FREAK, SET TO BEGIN PRODUCTION LATER THIS YEAR. BUT NEXT WEEK, A HIGHLY ANTICIPATED BOOK WILBEL RELEASED ABOUT THE BUCKS STAR, ENTITLED GIANNIS, THE IMPROBABLE RI OSEF AN NBA MVP. I SPOKE TO THE AUTHOR MIRIN FAR.DE >> HE IS A DEEPLY PRIVEAT PERSON. HE DOES NOT TRUST EASILY, BUT ONCE HE TRUSTS YOU, HE IS SO CARING AND SO LOYAL AND WILL ALWAYS BE THERE AND DO ANYTHING FOR YOU, AND THAT IS WHY HE IS SO ENDEARI.NG I INTERVIEWED 221 PEOPLE, AND NOT ONE PERSON HAD SOMETHING NEGATIVE TO SAY ABTOU GNNISIA, SO IT IS SAFE TO SAY HE IS PROBABLY T MHEOST BELOVED PLAYER IN THE NBA. WHAT I LOVE AND APPRECIATE ABOUT HIM MOST WAS HOW HARD IT WASOR F HIM TO ADJUST TO AMERICA. AT THE TIME, WHEN HE WAS A ROOKIE, WE WERE FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIS PERSONALITY, HAVING SMOOTHIES, LOOKING LIKE HE WAS HAVING A BALL, AND EVERYTHING SWA GREAT, BUT DEEP DNOW HE WAS REALLY LONELY AND HOMESICK AND FELT LIKE THIS ADJUSTMENT WAS JUST TOO HARD ATOME S POINT,O S I JUST APPRECIATED THE CANDOR OF THAT CONVERSATN,IO BECAUSE I THINK THAT PEOEPL DON’T REALLY REALIZE HOW HARD IT WAS FOR HIM TO GO FR WOMHERE HE GREW UP TO A COMPLETELY FOREIGN ENVIRONMENT. STEPN:HE WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON THE BOOK, WHAT IS THE PART YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF? >> THAT IT DID NOT SHY AWAY FROM HIS COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP TO GREECE. GIANNIS LOVES GREECE. HE TALKS ABOUTIS H LOVE FOR GREASE ALL THE TIME, BUT GREAT PEOPLE DO NOT ALWAYS LOVE GIANNIS, AND THAT IS A HARD TRUTH THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T TALK ABOUT. TO THIS DAY, MURALS OF HIM ARE STILL DESECRATED IN ATHENS WITH SWASTIKAS, AND THERES I A RACIST ELEMENT OF SOCIETY THAT DOES NOT WISH HIM WELL, THAT WILL NEVER ACCEPT HIMS A GREEK, AND ’M' REALLY PROUD THAT THE BOOK DECIDED TO TACKLEHA TT, AS WELL AS THE WIDER POLITICAL CONTEXT WITH WHICH GIANNIS GREW UP IN, BECAUSE TO JUST SAY THAT HE IS THE EMBODIMENT OF THE AMERICAN DRMEA, AN EXAMPLE OF RAGS TO RICHES AND WORKING HARD IS TO DISCOUNT THE MYRIAD OF FORCES THAT MAKE LEIF REALLY, REALLY HARD THERE FOR PEOPLE OF COROL THAT NOT -- ARE NOT AS TALL AS JONATHAN WILL NOT HAVE THE ATHLETICISM OR SEND OF THE YWA HE HAS COME SO I HEOP PEOPLE APPRECIATE THE WIDER CONTEXT AND STILL APPRECIATEHE T BASKETBALL BECAUSE THERE IS TONS OF THAT IN THEIR, BUT I COULD NOT LEAVE OUT THAT OTHER STUFF BECAUSE IT WOULD DO A DISSERVICE TO HIS STORY. STEPHEN: GIANNIS, THE IMPROBABLE RISE OF AN NBA MVP WILL BE RELEASED THIS TUESDAY, AUGUST 10. IT IS AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER. HARD COPIES ARE AVAILABLE NOW AT YOUR LOCAL BARNES AND