Saw it again today:
“BREAKING NEWS: Milwaukee bucks MVP/ Point Guard Giannis Antetokounmpo Donates Entire $20 Million Bonus and Sponsorship Deal to Charities and Homeless Relief” MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo Stated that” There are millions of people struggling every day — families without homes, kids without food, veterans without support.”
It is in hundreds of posts in social media from idiots who clearly don’t know how to research a little before posting. But it is not that simple. Because before that a similar rumour was circulating in Greece, to the extent that more serious media sources felt obligated to debunk it. (Link here – just use Google translate – https://mikropragmata.lifo.gr/zoi/ochi-o-giannis-antetokounmpo-de-eipe-oti-tha-dosei-25-ekatommyria-dolaria-se-filanthropies-stin-ellada-kai-sto-eksoteriko/ ) There is a similar “story” about Thanasis donating more than 12 million “bonus” (where the hell from?) Everytime the post has comments saying they are wonderful people etc.
So is it Giannis starting these rumours? As we documented before the voting for the NBA All Star is clearly problematic with serious indications of been manipulated by bots. While Giannis has not made a single, massive donation of that specific amount, he has a strong history of significant charitable giving. His efforts, often through the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation, focus on causes he and his family care about, including supporting young people and addressing basic needs like housing, food, and education.
For instance the Milwaukee Homeless Shelter: He invested $7.5 million to open a shelter for homeless youth in Milwaukee. Sure, most of this money will be given in the future but even that amount is nowhere near the one mentioned in the fake news. “Powering Milwaukee Forward”: He and his foundation partnered with GE HealthCare to launch this initiative, which provides $1 million in grants to ten Milwaukee-area nonprofits. These organizations focus on improving access to basic needs like housing, food, and education for underserved communities. Again in the US, obviously as a tax write off. Giannis has also donated to Fiserv Forum staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, provided food boxes to people in his hometown of Sepolia, Greece, and partnered with UNICEF Greece to raise awareness for children’s rights. In general he seems more focused on doing philanthropy that appears in the news. Also he is clearly focused on trying to appear in Greek media for his many promotional efforts and sponsor deals there.
Giannis resorts to his personal story every time he fails on the court. Makes sense and good for him. But get a grip and maybe Google a bit before spreading misinformation. There are other NBA players with serious philanthropic projects that really make a difference.
