Enlarge image
US President Joe Biden, Giannis Antetokounmpo (r.)
Photo: MANDEL NGAN / AFP
US President Joe Biden has honored an NBA champion in the White House for the first time in five years.
Biden congratulated the Milwaukee Bucks on their star Giannis Antetokounmpo on Monday at a ceremony in the garden of the seat of government in Washington.
Antetokounmpo, 26, from Greece thanked Biden and said it was an incredible honor to be received by the president.
The team's success is proof that great things can be achieved with "hard work and hardship," he said.
On the sidelines of the honor, Antetokounmpo said: "It is incredible to go from the streets of Sepolia to the Oval Office to meet the President of the United States." The son of Nigerian immigrants grew up in Greece and lived in the district north of the center of the capital Athens .
From there, his career took him to the USA, where he has played for the Bucks since 2013.
His brothers Kostas and Thanasis also play in the NBA, the latter was also in the Milwaukee championship squad.
The last time the Cleveland Cavaliers were guests after their title in 2016 was then President Barack Obama.
Under his successor Donald Trump, no NBA champion came to the White House.
Numerous players, including superstar Steph Curry from the Golden State Warriors, had already ruled out a visit under the Trump administration in advance.
With 50 points to the championship
At the ceremony, Biden was presented with a team jersey marked "Biden 46".
The 78-year-old is the 46th President in US history.
The Bucks had prevailed in the final series in six games against the Phoenix Suns in the summer and won the second NBA title in their history after 50 years.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been named the most valuable player in the league twice (2019 and 2020).
In the past season he won the award as the most valuable player in the final series.
Previously, he had secured the Bucks victory with 50 points in their sixth game against the Suns.
jok / dpa
