Giannis was discovered on a playground in greece\n\n Spiros Velliniates, a basketball coach of a local team in Athens found Giannis on a playground he frequently visited that was filled with immigrant kids. He was looking for players to take upon his squad and that's when he saw Giannis and his brothers.

Giannis didn't start playing basketball until he was 13 years old. But his talent was amazing, and after just three years, he was in the professional league. At the age of 18, Giannis finally obtained Greek citizenship, and he was finally able to leave Greece freely with his passport.