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

[trending]

Thread Over. Cant believe none of you guys remember this quote from Giannis himself. He identifies as Nigerian.

That's not the way it works. You don't carry your original country with you forever generation after generation or get to randomly pick one off the map, and say "this is how I identify". Just means his parent s have failed to assimilate. THEY are Nigerian.

Saying that his parents failed to assimilate is unfair to them. My country, Greece, has largely failed its immigrant population. The Greek state was never very willing to recognize these people as citizens and the naturalization process took ages. The Greek state has failed the children of these people even more. The situation got a tad better about 3-4 years ago but we still have a long way to go until the situation becomes acceptable.

what are they suppose to do ? they are very proud of their culture and heritage. they had bad experience with the albanians and now the africans.

[Nuntius]

Aaaaand the Masai quote just made Greek media News.

Congratulations Mr Ujiri.In your attempt to promote your African Basketball program you just enabled the 5% of Far Right Greeks-sorry excuses of-human beings to spew their BS of racism and hate speech.

That's why you don't mix sports with politics you genius man.Well Done.I'm sure Giannis is extremely happy.

****. This is what I was afraid of. That percentage is not just 5% either. Velopoulos may not be an outright neo-Nazi like Golden Dawn but he is still far-right. So, their percentage is still around 10-11%.

By the way, our national elections are being held in July 7th. That's in about 10 days. This will definitely affect their outcome since that's exactly the kind of soundbites that those **** need to be outraged about. **** great

[I beg to differ]

Masai trying to turn him into The sectarian Nigerian.

[Nuntius]

That's not the way it works. You don't carry your original country with you forever generation after generation or get to randomly pick one off the map, and say "this is how I identify". Just means his parent s have failed to assimilate. THEY are Nigerian.

Saying that his parents failed to assimilate is unfair to them. My country, Greece, has largely failed its immigrant population. The Greek state was never very willing to recognize these people as citizens and the naturalization process took ages. The Greek state has failed the children of these people even more. The situation got a tad better about 3-4 years ago but we still have a long way to go until the situation becomes acceptable.

what are they suppose to do ? they are very proud of their culture and heritage. they had bad experience with the albanians and now the africans.

Who are this "they" you're talking about? I'm afraid I don't quite understand your post.

In any case, in my post I was talking about the Greek state. The politicians, the ones who hold legislative power. I'm not talking about the people of the country.

[trending]

Saying that his parents failed to assimilate is unfair to them. My country, Greece, has largely failed its immigrant population. The Greek state was never very willing to recognize these people as citizens and the naturalization process took ages. The Greek state has failed the children of these people even more. The situation got a tad better about 3-4 years ago but we still have a long way to go until the situation becomes acceptable.

what are they suppose to do ? they are very proud of their culture and heritage. they had bad experience with the albanians and now the africans.

Who are this "they" you're talking about? I'm afraid I don't quite understand your post.

In any case, in my post I was talking about the Greek state. The politicians, the ones who hold legislative power. I'm not talking about the people of the country.

the greek people the "98%" greek orthodox population. whose parents and grandparents are from the area.

[Nuntius]

Aaaaand the Masai quote just made Greek media News.

Congratulations Mr Ujiri.In your attempt to promote your African Basketball program you just enabled the 5% of Far Right Greeks-sorry excuses of-human beings to spew their BS of racism and hate speech.

That's why you don't mix sports with politics you genius man.Well Done.I'm sure Giannis is extremely happy.

They would spew their hate speech with our without Masai's comments, or did you forget about Thanasis being called a monkey on TV in Greece? Was that Masai's fault too?

https://greekcitytimes.com/2018/11/16/giannis-antetokounmpo-speaks-out-over-racist-remark-made-about-brother-thanasis/

Yes, the far-right would spew their hate speech regardless. They always do. But giving them more talking points is irresponsible. It's how the US got Trump. We aren't in danger of getting someone like Trump (not that next Prime Minister isn't going to be horrible, he absolutely will, he just will be a different kind of horrible) but giving ammunition and talking points to the far-right can only lead to tragedy.

[Nuntius]

what are they suppose to do ? they are very proud of their culture and heritage. they had bad experience with the albanians and now the africans.

Who are this "they" you're talking about? I'm afraid I don't quite understand your post.

In any case, in my post I was talking about the Greek state. The politicians, the ones who hold legislative power. I'm not talking about the people of the country.

the greek people the "98%" greek orthodox population. whose parents and grandparents are from the area.

Gotcha, so you're talking about us. I'm sorry but we haven't had any bad experiences with Albanians and we definitely haven't had any bad experiences with Africans.

[trending]

Who are this "they" you're talking about? I'm afraid I don't quite understand your post.

In any case, in my post I was talking about the Greek state. The politicians, the ones who hold legislative power. I'm not talking about the people of the country.

the greek people the "98%" greek orthodox population. whose parents and grandparents are from the area.

Gotcha, so you're talking about us. I'm sorry but we haven't had any bad experiences with Albanians and we definitely haven't had any bad experiences with Africans.

my family is from chios. plenty of bad experiences there.

[gavran]

Giannis is Ob-Ugrian, case closed.

[Nuntius]

Aaaaand the Masai quote just made Greek media News.

Congratulations Mr Ujiri.In your attempt to promote your African Basketball program you just enabled the 5% of Far Right Greeks-sorry excuses of-human beings to spew their BS of racism and hate speech.

That's why you don't mix sports with politics you genius man.Well Done.I'm sure Giannis is extremely happy.

They would spew their hate speech with our without Masai's comments, or did you forget about Thanasis being called a monkey on TV in Greece? Was that Masai's fault too?

https://greekcitytimes.com/2018/11/16/giannis-antetokounmpo-speaks-out-over-racist-remark-made-about-brother-thanasis/

Gotta love when people blame the victims for far right lunatics being racist, as if these scumbags need an excuse for their unfathomable behavior. That is peak centrism at it's best

My friend, I have agreed with you on a lot of things in this board. But in this case, I'll have to disagree. This has nothing to do with peak centrism or with blaming the victims (who in this case are the immigrants living in Greece that have to face the racism of these far-right **** and not Masai Ujiri). Allow me to provide some context in this discussion, though.

Our current government reached an agreement with the country of Northern Macedonia to finally resolve the naming dispute that was going on ever since the 90s. This agreement outraged the nationalists in the country and the right-wing manipulated the situation and turned it into support for them which is why they won the recent Euro-elections. The far-right vote fractured a bit since they coalesced back to the main centre-right party that is slated to win the next elections.

These next elections are taking place in less than 10 days. Giannis winning the MVP became a major topic of discussion in Greece. It was talked about everywhere. Ujiri's comments will probably make the rounds as well and they are the exact kind of soundbite that the far-right needs to bolster their support. You all saw how those kind of soundbites (no matter if true or fake) helped Trump ascend to the presidency of the US. Masai, unknowingly, just influenced a country's election to promote the brand of his program. This isn't a laughing matter.

[Nuntius]

the greek people the "98%" greek orthodox population. whose parents and grandparents are from the area.

Gotcha, so you're talking about us. I'm sorry but we haven't had any bad experiences with Albanians and we definitely haven't had any bad experiences with Africans.

my family is from chios. plenty of bad experiences there.

And I have lived in Athens almost all my life (with 5 years in Igoumenitsa where I was studying). I have never had any bad experiences.

[Nuntius]

He's from Earth. He's Earthling.

You see how borders divide us? These are political boundries we're all talking about. Giannis doesn't even work for a government.

Enough years ago there were no government borders, just people. Some over here, some over there.

If somebody wants to make it about culture, one will argue he's a lot of things. Nigerian from his immediate family's influence, a little bit Greek, and now a little bit American. His culture is who he spends time around, identifies with, and learns from. The idea that you have to choose just one is part of where in the problem lies. Those that insist he is just one thing, it's not really their say. If he wants to identify with just one place, which I don't think he would do, so be it, that's his business. (somebody also mentioned that it's his business, props)

Sadly and unfortunately people also want to define what you are based on what you do in life, not where you're born or who your parents are or what you identify with.

For instance in France, if you're a hero because you just scaled a building to save a dangling baby, or if you help the National Soccer Team win a World Cup, to the masses you're most definitely French. But if you have the exact same background/parents/etc, and you wander the streets asking for change or commit crimes, you're an African, or an immigrant. People are going to try to identify who you are based on if they want you in their group or not, usually based on what you do. Not who you really are.

So I'm not buying any of it. If he wants to identify as this or that, so be it. Just listen to him and respect it. But it's not up to us.

This is a beautiful and extremely underrated post. It is up to Giannis, not Ujiri and certainly not us.

[Nuntius]

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.

You should post more often then. We need more thoughtful posts like this one.

[Nuntius]

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?

Because saying that he is Nigerian doesn't exclude that he is Greek. As Giannis said in the video posted in page #12, post #228:

There is room for two homes in one's heart

Watch on YouTube

Masai has know giannis since he was a child lol.

How did Masai know about a kid living in Sepolia when he has never been there? Giannis was under the radar up until a year before he was drafted. If you want to claim that Masai was one of the first to send scouts to watch Filathlitikos games when Giannis was like 17 years old then sure, I can buy that. But earlier than that? Nah.

[tundraknight]

So we finna start calling him the Nigerian Freak?

[Ontario]

Giannis is just amazing "what" he is really doesn't matter, he is and really we all are the sum of a multitude of things together all at once, (even things that on the surface probably seem contradictory).

[SHO'NUFF]

My parents are from Iraq came to U.S as immigrants. I’m born in America....I’m Mfing American!!!

[naabzor]

Find the difference. Both are greeks.

[Vayuputra]

Bring him home Masai.

What do you guys think?

Read on Twitter

I think Raptors fans are quickly turning out to be one of worst fanbases of any sport on the internet.....call me when there is a NBA team in Greece or Nigeria

[Indomitable]

who cares

Giannis admires and respects him. He wants to win a title. Hopefully the Bucks can take the next step cuz I wouldn't want Masai in a room with Giannis in July 2021.

Sent from my Pixel 2 using RealGM mobile app

This is nothing more than Toronto fans grasping onto straws. It's not happening. Toronto fans want to make Masai into this father figure and confidant when it's just not the case.

At least it took Golden State 2 years to become unbearable.