Who is Giannis Antetokounmpo?
Giannis Antetokounmpo is an NBA player who has been dominating the league. Giannis has won back-to-back MVP awards, but how did he get to this point?
Giannis was born in Athens, Greece. His parents emigrated from Nigeria seeking employment. The Antetokounmpo family did everything they could to get by.
In 2012, Giannis played for Filathlitikos which is a semi-pro league in Greece. At age 18, he signed a four year contract to play for CCAI Zaragoza which is a team in the Spanish league.
In 2013, Giannis Antetokounmpo entered the NBA draft and got selected with the 15th pick. He averaged the most blocked shots compared to any other rookie in his class and made the 2nd all rookie team.
Fast forward to today, Giannis is a dominant force in the NBA. He has had many playoff appearances and is one of the few players to win the MVP award back to back.
Why are his cards so expensive?
Giannis’ cards are valuable because he was not expected to be the player he is today. Many people did not know who Giannis was the night he got drafted.
After his first couple of years in the NBA, he started to show his potential. Giannis’ rookie cards went through the roof in price.
It is still early in his career, yet people speculate he will be a future Hall of Famer and NBA champion
Pre-NBA cards:
2012-13 Exquisite Collection Giannis Antetokounmpo
Upper Deck were working on a college collection because they lost the NBA license to Panini
The supply of this card is limited.
There is also an autograph version of this card
Ultimate Collection Ultimate Rookie Booklets Signatures Giannis Antetokounmpo #URS1 /250
This card is only found in bonus packs of 2013-2014 SP Authentic Basketball.
It depicts Giannis with a Greek flag and has a signature on the card
This card is limited to 250 copies.
Paper cards:
2013-14 Prestige Giannis Antetokounmpo #175 RC
This card depicts a cool action shot of Giannis
There are parallels of this card, so keep your eyes peeled.
He is looking down in the picture and some collector’s do not love this aspect. despite the picture, this is still an awesome card.
2013-14 Hoops Giannis Antetokounmpo #275 RC
Hoops is not a hobby brand by any means, but this card is one that does hold value
This is one of the first Giannis rookie cards made
It shows Giannis going up to the rim for a two handed slam!
Chrome cards:
2013-14 Panini Select Giannis Antetokounmpo #178 RC
This is a base rookie card for Giannis
Giannis dribbling the basketball in this card
There are several editions of this card with one of them being a patch auto
2013-14 Panini Prizm Giannis Antetokounmpo RC #290
You cannot go wrong with Prizm these days. People are going crazy for these cards.
This card has more value than the select version
It also has several parallels including an autograph version
Autograph/memorabilia cards:
2013-14 Panini Flawless Giannis Antetokounmpo #99 RC /20 Diamond
This card is one of the rarest autograph cards for Giannis with 20 copies for the base
There are other parallels too, but they are even more limited.
The card itself looks pristine and would look awesome in any collection.
2013-14 Timeless Treasures Giannis Antetokounmpo #129 RC Autograph Jersey
This card has a signature with a white strip
There is also a patch of jersey in the upper right hand corner
There are 3 parallels: a Prime /49, Ruby /25, and a 1/1 special card
2013-14 Immaculate Collection Giannis Antetokounmpo #131 RC /99 Autograph Jersey
This is an RPA with only 99 copies
This card is exquisite as it has a colored patch and a signature on the bottom
There are two variations of this card that are number to 34 and 25
2013-14 National Treasures Giannis Antetokounmpo RC #130 Autograph Jersey #/99
This brand is iconic
The patch on the cards are beautiful, you can’t go wrong with this brand
This card will only continue to increase in value.
The other national treasurers cards will help this one increase in value.
Long term potential
Giannis has already proved himself as a dominant force in the league. He is great at attacking the rim and dismantling a defense.
He will win an NBA championship in the future and become a generational talent. Although this is preemptive, he definitely has the potential to be a future Hall of Famer.
Summary
Giannis was born in Greece and earned the nickname the Greek Freak due to his height and wingspan
He played basketball at a young age and he excelled, but he did not dominate in any insane way
He got drafted into the NBA and many people saw his potential.
Giannis rose to the occasion. He proved his supporters right by becoming an absolute superstar
