Yet for most of his life growing up in Greece, Giannis Antetokounmpo was considered a foreigner. As the son of African immigrants, he was perpetually vulnerable to attacks by racist militants, and to threats of deportation to Nigeria, a country he had never visited. playoffs as the best player on the Milwaukee Bucks, the top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference, his fellow African immigrants in Greece are watching with rapt attention. Until recently, even the children of African immigrants who were born here found it difficult to secure legal residency, let alone citizenship. Antetokounmpo only gained Greek citizenship six years ago — just as he was about to go to New York for the N.B.A.

Source: New York Times May 03, 2019 17:39 UTC