{"id":9113,"date":"2025-06-06T16:38:59","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T16:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/?p=9113"},"modified":"2025-06-06T16:38:59","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T16:38:59","slug":"nba-star-giannis-antetokounmpo-opens-up-about-fatherhood-and-the-values-he-instills-in-his-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/2025\/06\/nba-star-giannis-antetokounmpo-opens-up-about-fatherhood-and-the-values-he-instills-in-his-kids.html","title":{"rendered":"NBA Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Opens Up About Fatherhood and the Values He Instills in His Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: giannis_an34 \/ Instagram | Right: Keith Allison \/ Flickr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo may dominate on the basketball court, but at home, he’s just “Dad”\u2014and that’s the title that matters most to him.<\/p>\n

The Milwaukee Bucks forward, now a father of four, recently opened up about how being a dad has changed him, shaped his values, and even brought out a softer side that fans don\u2019t often get to see.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love hugging my kids and kissing them and cuddling them and playing with them and wrestling them,\u201d he told Parents<\/em> magazine. \u201cGrowing up, I didn\u2019t have that as much from my dad. So this is a soft side of me with my kids that a lot of people don\u2019t know about. I want to keep it that way, just for my kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giannis and his wife, Mariah Riddlesprigger, welcomed their newest addition, baby Aria Capri, on May 1. They\u2019re also raising three other little ones\u2014Liam, 5, Maverick, 3, and Eva, 20 months. As any parent knows, raising four kids is no small feat, and Giannis admits he\u2019s still learning.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have an incredible wife that pretty much shows me the ropes of how to take care of my kids,\u201d he said. He also turns to his mother and older brother for parenting advice.<\/p>\n

For Giannis, fatherhood is not just about love and playtime\u2014it\u2019s also about teaching strong values. \u201cI\u2019m a dad that\u2019s straight to the point, big on respect,\u201d he said. \u201cRespect your mom, respect your dad, respect your elders, and make sure you\u2019re grateful and appreciative of all the things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even as a world-famous athlete, Giannis wants to shield his children from the pressures of fame. \u201cAnything that has to do with fame and attention, it\u2019s not in my house,\u201d he shared. \u201cI want them to feel like home is always their base\u2026 where they can feel safe, comfortable, and be themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

That humble attitude comes from his own upbringing. Born in Greece to Nigerian immigrants, Giannis remembers when his family couldn\u2019t even afford diapers. \u201cMy mom used to use bed sheets as diapers,\u201d he said. That memory inspired him and Mariah to forgo a baby shower for their second son and instead raise money to donate diapers to families in need.<\/p>\n

Now, through a partnership with Huggies and the Milwaukee Diaper Mission, Giannis is helping provide essentials to struggling families. \u201cIt\u2019s something that makes my family proud,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd when my kids get older, they can see that as an example and copy it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Giannis hopes his children will grow up appreciating their Nigerian and Greek heritage. He often speaks Greek with them and sends them to Greek summer schools. Though they understand the language, they\u2019re still learning to speak it fluently. \u201cIt\u2019s a work in progress,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, Giannis says his greatest hope isn\u2019t that his kids follow in his basketball footsteps\u2014but that they grow to love whatever they do. \u201cI just want them to fall in love with the process of getting better,\u201d he said. \u201cWhether it\u2019s basketball, being a doctor, or anything else, I want them to wake up every day and enjoy what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Faith, love, and family are clearly at the heart of this NBA star\u2019s life\u2014and it\u2019s a legacy he hopes to pass on to his kids one diaper, cuddle, and Greek phrase at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo may dominate on the basketball court, but at home, he’s just “Dad”\u2014and that’s the title that matters most to him. The Milwaukee Bucks forward, now a father of four, recently opened up about how being a dad has changed him, shaped his values, and even brought out a softer side that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":9116,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nNBA Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Opens Up About Fatherhood and the Values He Instills in His Kids<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo opens up about how fatherhood changed him and the values he's working to instill in his four young kids\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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