How Giannis Antetokounmpo makes and spends his millions: NBA’s ‘Greek Freak’ and Milwaukee Bucks forward has brand deals with Nike and Breitling, and a collection of Rolex watches and BMW cars
Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best basketball players on the planet – and he’s quickly becoming one of the richest.
The 28-year-old Milwaukee Bucks forward – known to many as “The Greek Freak” – has racked up an impressive array of accolades before reaching his 30th birthday. He won back-to-back NBA MVP awards in 2019 and 2020, collected his first championship ring along with Finals MVP honours in 2021 – and earned seven All-Star nods over his 10 seasons in the league.
Here’s how Antetokounmpo makes and spends his millions.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the best basketball players
The Milwaukee Bucks selected Antetokounmpo – then a scrawny 18-year-old playing for clubs in Spain and his home Greek League – with the 15th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft. And while it took the young forward some time to grow into the league, as well as his 211cm frame, his upside was nothing short of extraordinary.
He’s collected a plethora of accolades as a result. He’s been an NBA All-Star every year since that fateful 2017 campaign and he’s served as captain of his All-Star team on three separate occasions. He won NBA All-Star Game MVP in 2021, leading Milwaukee to its first NBA title in 50 years. Moreover, he earned Finals MVP after averaging a remarkable 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists through six games against the Phoenix Suns.
He played his way into generational wealth via several massive NBA contracts
Ahead of the 2016-17 NBA season, Antetokounmpo signed a US$100 million contract extension to remain in Milwaukee for the next four years, according to Spotrac. Before that deal expired in 2021, he once again opted to stay in Wisconsin by agreeing to another extension.
This time, the contract was worth a whopping US$228 million over five years, per the same source, making it the largest deal in NBA history at the time and a huge win for the league’s smaller-market teams.
Antetokounmpo signed yet another extension with the Bucks in October. The three-year, US$177 million deal – which commences in 2025 – is set to keep “The Greek Freak” in Milwaukee through at least the 2026-27 season.
In all, Antetokounmpo has raked in an astounding US$234 million during his time in Milwaukee – and that’s just from his team salary.
He has variety of lucrative endorsement deals
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the NBA superstar has endorsement deals with BMO (formerly BMO Harris), Breitling, Degree, Google Pixel, JBL, Milko and T-Mobile. Forbes adds Amazon, Come Ready Foods LLC, Epic Games, Meta and Unilever to his growing list of sponsors.
The crown jewel of Antetokounmpo’s endorsement portfolio is his massive deal with Nike, which includes a successful signature shoe line. He earns around US$10 million annually from the sportswear giant, per Forbes.
While the superstar’s official net worth has not been confirmed to the public, outlets like ClutchPoints, BetMGM and Sportscasting estimate that he has between US$70 million and US$90 million to his name.
He makes shrewd investments and owns several homes
Antetokounmpo’s earnings from the Bucks alone would qualify as generational wealth. So too would his similarly staggering sum from sponsorships.
Even still, the basketball superstar has taken steps to grow the pot further. He’s made a series of investments across a variety of sectors – some of which he’s gone in on alongside his brothers via their shared company, Ante Inc.
Some of Antetokounmpo’s biggest splurges to this point have been on property. He owns a US$1.8 million home in River Hills, Wisconsin.
In 2022, Antetokounmpo and his brother, Thanasi, bought matching homes at Costa Navarino Residences, per the luxury beachside resort’s blog. Located in the Peloponnese region of Greece, homes at Costa Navarino currently start at US$3.8 million, according to the company’s website.
Antetokounmpo once again added to his portfolio over the summer of 2023, per Greek Reporter, in the form of an US$11 million flat complex in the Psychiko suburb of Athens. The outlet suggests that the property is meant to be shared among the larger Antetokounmpo family, including his mother and brothers.
He has an impressive car collection too
He’s posted photos with a Land Rover Defender and a Porsche Cayenne, both of which cost just over US$100,000. Antetokounmpo also owns a BMW X5 and a Mercedes G63 AMG – two SUVs worth a combined US$270,000, per 21 Motoring. ClutchPoints also reports that he has a GMC Yukon, which he likely uses to transport his growing family.
He upped his fashion game in recent years – and loves watches
The seven-time All-Star largely credits his brother Thanassis for that transformation. “He’s deep into fashion,” Antetokounmpo told GQ. “He can wear anything and make it look good. I try to follow in his footsteps so I don’t look like a bum out there.”
Among the most expensive in his collection, according to Robb Report, are a “Panda”-dial Daytona Rolex (which the brand sells for US$15,000), a Rainbow Rolex Cosmograph Daytona (which some retailers price at more than US$100,000), and an Audemars Piguet Offshore (worth upwards of US$20,000, per GQ). He also wore a US$15,000 Rolex Sky-Dweller to the Bucks’ 2021 championship parade.
He prioritises quality time with his family
He’s been in a relationship with Mariah Riddlesprigger for roughly 10 years, according to US Weekly. The NBA star and designer, who launched apparel brand Sincerely, Mariah in 2021, announced their engagement in September.
Antetokounmpo and Riddlesprigger share three children, per People: two sons, Liam and Maverick Shai, and newborn daughter, Eva Brooke.
He gives back after coming from humble beginnings
The child of Nigerian immigrants, Antetokounmpo grew up as a second-class citizen in Greece’s capital city. He and his brothers were “perpetually vulnerable to attacks by racist militants” and often faced “threats of deportation”, all while they sold random goods to passers-by on the streets to get money for food and shared a single pair of trainers between them, according to The New York Times.
It’s no surprise, then, that Antetokounmpo feels compelled to give back now that he’s had so much good fortune by way of professional basketball. He and his brothers founded the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation to help give underprivileged individuals in the US, Greece and Nigeria opportunities to rise above their station, just like the Antetokounmpos did.
The NBA star engages in philanthropic efforts outside of the family’s charity as well. He regularly works with the Milwaukee Bucks Foundation to raise money for a variety of causes, and he’s an international ambassador for the Greek humanitarian aid organisation, The Hellenic Institute, per OSDB Sports.
At the height of the pandemic, Antetokounmpo donated US$100,000 to help employees at the Bucks’ home arena get by, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He’s worked at food drives, launched basketball academies for underprivileged athletes, and done so much more to help the communities he holds closest to his heart, per Money Smart Athlete Blog.
- The seven-time All-Star player signed yet another three-year extension with the Bucks in October – the US$177 million deal will commence in 2025, growing his already massive net worth even more
- Even though the NBA star came from humble beginnings as a child of Nigerian immigrants in Greece, today he has an impressive car collection, an enviable property portfolio – and he gives back, too