FluLikeSymptoms wrote:Raps in 4 wrote:Bucks fans keep telling themselves "Giannis isn't African, he doesn't care about Africa".
Did Greece care about him when he was coming up or trying to get a passport? I thought they didn’t recognize him as a citizen.
That's a completely made up fake nonsense by US sports media.
Under Greek law, you don't get Greek citizenship until you turn 18, if you were not born in the country. Unless they grant a special exception for being "an exceptionally talented person in a specific field that can improve Greece as a nation". Giannis, prior to being age 18, was not even in Greece's first level league, so no way was that exception being granted then. Even if your parents are both Greek citizens, if you are born outside of Greece, you probably won't get citizenship until you turn 18.
Until then, you can be a legal resident, as Giannis was. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been allowed to attend public school. If he wasn't considered a legal resident. Giannis and all of his brothers were allowed to attend public schools.
Giannis was treated 100% correctly and fairly, under Greece's legal system. He was born in the country, and despite that his parents were not citizens, he was granted full legal residence, and could attend public schools and do everything any other minor could in Greece. Then as soon as he turned age 18, he was given citizenship. His father wasn't born in Greece and had no Greek heritage, and yet was allowed to legally work in the country for as long as he wanted to.
The claim that he was treated unfairly and badly by the Greek government, and that he only got citizenship because the NBA drafted him is completely absurd and totally ridiculous. US sports media that has made those claims is totally full of BS and nonsense. It's also quite ironic, considering that he likely would have been treated far worse in the USA, under the same circumstances.
