Masai Ujiri: Giannis is not Greek, he's Nigerian

[Salieri]

He is greek.

He might not want to be greek, he might even identify himself as non-greek, and I respect that. Not everyone is forced to like the land he was born in or the country that claims his citizenship. That's understandable. Here in Europe we deal with that kind of feeling quite often, just ask many scottish people, or basque ones.

But he is what his passport says he is.

Nobody says he can't be nigerian too, he is entitled to feel as nigerian as he wants. But saying he's nigerian is one thing, saying he is NOT greek is an entirely different animal. It sounds similar but it ain't, and Ujiri might not understand the nuances when discussing this kind of subject... Or he might have just ignored them.

One of my passports say one thing and my other passport says another. So what am I?

Read the post again, but slowly. I'm sure you'll find the answer in there.

I'll repeat: you are what your passport says you are. You wanna feel nigerian? Fine by me, and by anyone who has the tiniest speck of decency. But don't try to show up at an embassy of Nigeria claiming citizenship if you don't have a nigerian passport, or you might be in for a surprise.

Do you legally own 2 passports? Then you have double nationality. Not a problem.

I think it's pretty easy to understand.

If Ujiri was talking about identity, I totally agree with him if that's that Giannis said to him, and I trust him because he knows Giannis and they seem to be friends. He says Giannis identifies himself with nigerian heritage and culture and that's totally respectable.

If Ujiri was talking about nationality, he doesn't get to write the laws. Neither does Giannis, for that matter. And his statement was kind of ignorant and/or insensitive to what constitutes a pretty big problem in Europe. And maybe he wanted it that way! Maybe he wanted to shed light over an issue that doesn't get talked about nearly enough. I don't think his choice of words were optimal but I commend his attempt nonetheless. After all, he succeeded. Take a look at this very thread, he sparked the debate.

But when it comes to nationality, Giannis is what his passport (s) says he is, period.

[axeman23]

Giannis is as Greek as much as Olajuwon is American

Well seeing as Giannis WAS born in Greece, while Hakeem was NOT born in the USA:

[Optms]

Anyone who identifies with their parents nationality instead of the country in which they were born and raised in are trying too damn hard to be something they're not. Live your own life. Not your parents.

[Harry Garris]

His nationality is Greek, his family is from Nigeria. It's the equivalent of a random guy saying he's American but Grandparents came from Portugal or something.

Not the same. His parents weren't even citizens. They arrived as immigrants.

My guy is Nigerian through and through.

He's ethnically Nigerian but spent his entire pre adult life in Greece. So most accurately he's Greek-Nigerian. Some people really don't fit into one box and that's okay.

[mtcan]

Anyone who identifies with their parents nationality instead of the country in which they were born and raised in are trying too damn hard to be something they're not. Live your own life. Not your parents.

White Americans will often refer to their ancestral blood for various character traits...Italian, Irish, Scottish, etc.

It is more common for a visible minority to identify as both their ethnicity and nationality...like Asian-Americans, Latin-Americans, etc. This is no different.

True that by passport he is a Greek citizen...but by ancestry and personality perhaps he identifies more as Nigerian.

[Jmonty580]

Black dude born in China is Chinese? Chinese is an ethnicity as well as a nationality. Kinda weird to be black and walk around saying you are Chinese or Italian or whatever because you were born there. Be Black and talk to some Italians and be like yea I'm Italian too. They will look at you like you are an alien.

[Stannis]

The tricky thing about being an African athlete abroad, primarily European soccer which is really bad, is that media tends on to only refers to your African lineage when you are underperforming. Romelu Lukaku pointed it out when he said the Belgium media would refer to him as a Belgian striker when he has great performances and would refer to him as the Belgian striker of Congolese descent when he had terrible performances.

Yep.

[Turgon90]

If anyone is really interested in hearing Giannis approach on the mater, he should listen to this interview.

Watch on YouTube

I hardly post here, even though i am long time lurker and a die hard Giannis fan. Giannis as he states, he feels both Greek and Nigerian. He specifically says in the video "There is room for two homes in ones heart".

Also for those that say Greece did not accept him, till he became a good basketball project. That is kinda correct. Greek state did not, but a large groups of Greeks, from a local coffee shop owner that gave him free meals when he was a child, to his friends, his school teachers, the people he faced everyday, embraced him and his family. Giannis grow up like every other Greek child more or less, if you take out of the equation the financial part which is always harder for illegal immigrants.

Giannis is a role model in Greece and is highly loved, not because of DNA, but because of who he is, and what he does for the country he grew up.
https://greece.greekreporter.com/2019/05/20/giannis-antetokounmpo-offers-to-build-basketball-court-in-wildfire-hit-rafina-greece/

He is a role model for thousand immigrant children in Greece but "ethnically Greeks" as well. We saw in him all the virtues he has, the kindness and the humbleness, the hard work, etc.

Giannis is who he is, as well as every other Giannis, famous or not, a child of two cultures.

[jc23]

People are basic, everyone wants to feel special and be apart of a group instead of the whole.

[substancej]

Sure, but when I say that, I'm called a racist

[inquisitive]

A Greek Nigerian or Nigerian Greek

[Rainwater]

I feel like unless you are a 1st or 2nd generation immigrant you won't completely understand the complexity of Masai's statement. But as a son of immigrants, I feel like Masai is the type of guy if any famous celebrity or anyone that has done anything noteworthy has a drop of Nigerian blood or even appears Nigerian he will claim him as Nigerian, lol

[GusT15]

If anyone is really interested in hearing Giannis approach on the mater, he should listen to this interview.

Watch on YouTube

I hardly post here, even though i am long time lurker and a die hard Giannis fan. Giannis as he states, he feels both Greek and Nigerian. He specifically says in the video "There is room for two homes in ones heart".

Also for those that say Greece did not accept him, till he became a good basketball project. That is kinda correct. Greek state did not, but a large groups of Greeks, from a local coffee shop owner that gave him free meals when he was a child, to his friends, his school teachers, the people he faced everyday, embraced him and his family. Giannis grow up like every other Greek child more or less, if you take out of the equation the financial part which is always harder for illegal immigrants.

Giannis is a role model in Greece and is highly loved, not because of DNA, but because of who he is, and what he does for the country he grew up.
https://greece.greekreporter.com/2019/05/20/giannis-antetokounmpo-offers-to-build-basketball-court-in-wildfire-hit-rafina-greece/

He is a role model for thousand immigrant children in Greece but "ethnically Greeks" as well. We saw in him all the virtues he has, the kindness and the humbleness, the hard work, etc.

Giannis is who he is, as well as every other Giannis, famous or not, a child of two cultures.

I want to thank you for this.

And for people who don't want to through the whole video,the time mark is at 38:18.



/thread

[mtcan]

When does Giannis apply for American citizenship?

When he sits down with Masai for a free agency meeting in 2021 in Toronto...this will be discussed.

[will]

When does Giannis apply for American citizenship?

When he sits down with Masai for a free agency meeting in 2021 in Toronto...this will be discussed.

So he will have Greek, Canadian and American citizenship?

[johanliebert]

I think Giannis is the one who gets to decide if he identifies as Greek or not. Not Masai.

Just a few Months ago he said he’s Nigerian. How does this nearly have 100 up votes? Masai has know giannis since he was a child lol.

[bleeds_purple]

I think Giannis is the one who gets to decide if he identifies as Greek or not. Not Masai.

Eh. You don't get to decide your genetics (ethnicity/race). You also don't get to decide your country of birth (nationality).

People in this thread need to learn the difference between ethnicity and nationality.

[Jim Naismith]

I think Giannis is the one who gets to decide if he identifies as Greek or not. Not Masai.

Eh. You don't get to decide your genetics (ethnicity/race). You also don't get to decide your country of birth (nationality).

People in this thread need to learn the difference between ethnicity and nationality.

The Greek word for nation is έθνος (ethnos).

[Coach Carter]

Giannis identifies as Nigerian. In his own words.....

“I grew up in a Nigerian home,” Antetokounmpo said. “Obviously, I was born in Greece and went to school in Greece. But at the end of the day when I go home, there is no Greek culture. It’s straight-up Nigerian culture.

“There are a lot of people that I see and I tell them that I am African. I am not just ‘The Greek Freak,’ ” Antetokounmpo said.
“It doesn’t matter what people may believe because of my nickname. There were a lot of times when I was in Greece where people said, ‘You’re not Greek. You’re Nigerian because you’re black.’

https://theundefeated.com/features/bucks-giannis-antetokounmpo-greek-freak-wants-to-go-back-to-his-nigerian-roots/

Whether you like it or not, where you grew up that's a part of you and if you're sincere to yourself, you can admit this. My parents are Greek. I grew up in a Greek home. The food is Greek. I've been to Greece 5 times and once lived there 7 months. Thus, speaking from personal experience, you do receive a cultural shock. I was there last year, i met an Aussie and as soon as we started conversing, i felt a little closer to home, that being Australia. I have no doubt that if Giannis were to go live in Nigeria for that long, he'd have a similar cultural shock and feel more Greek than ever because he grew up in Greece. Also, when he first went to Milwaukee, he was closest to his Greek american agent because of the Greek language, Giannis preferred spoken language. At the draft he was holding a Greek flag.

[GusT15]

I think Giannis is the one who gets to decide if he identifies as Greek or not. Not Masai.

Just a few Months ago he said he’s Nigerian. How does this nearly have 100 up votes? Masai has know giannis since he was a child lol.

Out of curiosity,where exactly did you get that information?
The Toronto Star article or the Raptors forum?

Masai has known Giannis and his family since 2012 when he was discovered as an NBA prospect playing DII Basketball in Greece.
He was instrumental on helping getting Giannis' parents entry to the US in 2013-cause they were denied visa 2 times.And they're indeed close.

So,no,lol,he didn't know him as a child,cause when Giannis was a child,Masai was playing semi pro ball somewhere in Europe,not in Greece.

He said he's both Nigerian and Greek on more than one occasions.He said he grew up with both cultures and has embraced both cultures.Why is that so difficult to comprehend for some people in this thread?