MILWAUKEE — Getting Giannis Antetkounmpo acclimated to living in Milwaukee was predicated on one key factor: Bringing his family to the U.S. from Greece.
JoAnne Anton, now the President & CEO of Herb Kohl Philanthropies, was described by former Bucks GM John Hammond as the ‘single biggest reason’ why Giannis was able to comfortably assimilate to life in Milwaukee. This was in large part due to their shared Greek heritage and dedication to moving the Antetokounmpo family to the area.
She joined Stephen Watson on the Behind The Bucks Podcast through Bucks Plus Audio (click here to visit) to discuss her relationship with the Greek Freak and the process of helping his parents move stateside.
Anton, who worked for the late Sen. Herb Kohl for more than two decades, was introduced to Giannis by Hammond shortly after he arrived in Milwaukee.
“In that moment, John had no idea I knew anything about Greece or basketball, other than that I worked for Sen. Kohl,” Anton described. “There’s this sweet boy, really, at the time — same age as one of my own children — standing there looking a little lost, looking a little… deer in the headlights.”
She said that his eyes lit up when she spoke to him in Greek, instantly helping the two build a connection. Through subsequent conversations and shared meals, it quickly became apparent that Giannis had a sadness inside him caused by the distance from his family.
"There's this sweet boy, really, at the time — same age as one of my own children — standing there looking a little lost."
— 620 WTMJ (@620wtmj) February 21, 2024
JoAnne Anton of @HKPgiving recalls her first time meeting Giannis. Hear the full convo with @SWatsonTV on @BucksPlusAudio: https://t.co/ivh4qdDrHK pic.twitter.com/LjflrJadRv
“It was in those early moments of meeting him that I knew this was different than any old visa or immigration case that we were going to try to unravel,” Anton said. “This was personal and tied up in his psyche.”
So what was the hold-up? Giannis’ parents did not have Greek passports, which the U.S. Government held against them throughout the immigration process.
This took more than six months with various legal roadblocks and red tape slowing their progress. She credited Giannis’ agents and the Milwaukee-based law firm Quarles & Brady LLP with getting the ball rolling and executing along the way. During that time, Giannis asked them for status updates every single day.
“Having done immigration casework for Sen. Kohl for as long as I had and as long as his office had, you just don’t take no for an answer,” Anton said. “If one door closes, you try to go through another door and you try to troubleshoot along the way.”
Finally, after trying almost every avenue, they found a path that worked. Giannis’ father, Charles Antetokounmpo was a pivotal figure in his son’s path to the NBA. His training and coaching were crucial to Giannis’ success. Through that route, they were finally able to bring the Antetokounmpos to Milwaukee.
She still recalls the following email — a culmination of hard work, sweat and tears for everyone involved:
“Every day, you could tell he was gonna… work to get better, and so seeing all of that too — that he wasn’t just sitting around, waiting around for his parents to get here, or waiting around for something else to happen — every day, he sort of kept his head down, kept working, work through the struggles — all these things are, I think synonymous with what that one name means to us today,” Anton said.
From that moment on, Giannis’ feelings about moving to the U.S. changed. He grew increasingly comfortable and endlessly curious, building a deep-rooted connection with the City of Milwaukee as it became his home. With his parents in the stands — sitting in seats reserved for Sen. Kohl — Giannis began to take off.
“There’s something really complex and unique, maybe once in a generation, that is who he is as a young man. I mean, the mental strength, the emotional strength and fortitude that he brings to the game, to his brand, to his family, it’s pretty special,” Anton said. “He’s grounded, he’s down to earth, he’s loyal, and I don’t mean that just to the Bucks. He’s loyal to Milwaukee.”
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