Giannis Antetokounmpo was viewed as a 'freak' long before that same term became an endearing nickname - and a public identity - in the National Basketball Association.
He grew up as one of five siblings to Nigerian immigrants and was stateless, forced to avoid drawing any attention to himself or his family in Sepolia, a gritty neighbourhood in Athens.
Racists would target the family, said to be the only black family in the area, in the darkness of night. It was a chastening childhood and one he is determined to never forget.
He would actively avoid going out late at night, instead staying home and keeping himself to himself. It was a struggle where nothing was taken for granted.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (left), grew up playing basketball with brother Thanasis (far right) as well as looking after younger siblings Kostas (third right) and Alex (second right)
The Greek star (right) lived a difficult childhood in which his parents struggled to pay all bills
He established himself in NBA history when he won his first championship title in Milwaukee
He even chose to go to bed with his Finals MVP trophy and the Larry O'Brien NBA title (right)
It often gets overlooked but the man people now know as Giannis Antetokounmpo was actually named Giannis Adetokunbo - it aligned with the Greek spelling that was printed on his passport.
He identified as Greek-Nigerian, determined to keep the African side of his heritage prominent, despite never visiting Nigeria as a youngster.
Parents Veronica and Charles left Lagos, Nigeria, in 1991, leaving behind their eldest child, Francis, with grandparents in the process.
The plan was to seek out a better life for their ever-expanding family. Three years later, Giannis was born.
The issue was that without the necessary papers for residency and citizenship, finding work for both Veronica and Charles proved a thankless task.
So tricky was it to get consistent employment, and thus consistent income, the Antetokounmpo can vividly remember the nights where they would have to go hungry.
'Sometimes, our fridge was empty,' Antetokounmpo told the New York Times in 2013.
'Some days, we didn't sell the stuff and we didn't have money to feed ourselves.'
Giannis can remember how the 'fridge was sometimes empty' as parents struggled for work
Alongside his older brother, Giannis (left) had to complete three months of military service
Veronica often earned money babysitting while Charles intermittently worked for an electrical company.
But with the fridge occasionally empty and a busy household, the Antetokounmpo children needed to work. It was that or go hungry - again.
He would try to sell DVDs and sunglasses on the streets of Athens to bring in much needed income to help his parents, as well as his siblings. Some days it worked, others it didn't.
Veronica, in an interview in 2013, revealed that the family was once evicted from their property for failing to pay their $455 monthly rent.
The Antetokounmpo story is as much about perseverance against discrimination as it is about pure, world-level talent.
Both his parents held their own sporting prowess with mum Veronica a respected high-jumper and his dad a footballer in Nigeria, albeit briefly.
A football-mad household, the Milwaukee star grew up as a boyhood Arsenal supporter and it came as a surprise to the parents when Giannis, and his older brother Thanasis, became hooked on basketball.
Giannis (left) was viewed as an outsider in Greece as the family were without valid documents until he was 18. His parents Veronica and Charles (seen right) left Nigeria to start a better life
The Antetokounmpo family were reportedly once evicted from their home over missed rent
'I played soccer from nine until 12 and then 12-and-a-half I started playing basketball,' Antetokounmpo said in 2020.
Money was still tight and so it was one pair of trainers to share between them for basketball games and practices. The family were right on the edge of affordability. If food was an issue, trainers for every child was a mere fantasy.
'He was just a guy you would see in the street, hungry and looking for food,' Chris Iliopoulos Odoemelam, who grew up and played street basketball with Antetokounmpo, told the New York Times in 2019.
'He didn't have anything. He had one pair of shoes that he had to share with his brothers. And now he's a millionaire. It's crazy.'
Let's rewind before getting to the part of his incredible life story where millions come into play.
Giannis began playing basketball in 2007 and early reports from those in Greece said that he did not know how to properly dribble.
For a coach and a team, he was a complete blank canvas.
Spiros Velliniatis is the man credited with discovering a raw Antetokounmpo as he roamed the immigrant areas in and around Athens in search of unscouted talent.
Velliniatis can still recall the moment he saw a gangly Giannis hustling on a free local court alongside his brothers.
'I could see that Giannis had real skills in changing direction,' Velliniatis told the New York Times.
'He had huge hands and a frame that looked poised to grow. It was like something stopped me from the sky. The moment I saw him, lightning struck me.'
The Milwaukee star (left) grew up a huge football fan and his boyhood team was Arsenal (pictured: Giannis and his dad Charles, who was pro in Nigeria, watching an
