NBA Draft

NBA draft prospect from Greece follows Antetokounmpo path

Agence France-Presse

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NBA draft prospect from Greece follows Antetokounmpo path

SAME ROOTS. Nikos Okekuoyen (left) played on the same Filathlitikos team in which fellow Greek-Nigerian Giannis Antetokounmpo starred.

Photo from Instagram/@nikos_ok13

Nikos Okekuoyen is the only Greek player eligible to be selected in the 2020 NBA Draft

Greek-Nigerian Nikos Okekuoyen is following in the footsteps of NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and hopes he too will play in the top basketball league in the world.

The 23-year-old power forward/center is the only Greek player eligible to be selected in the 2020 NBA Draft scheduled for Wednesday, November 18.

Okekuoyen, who played on the same Filathlitikos team in which fellow Greek-Nigerian Antetokounmpo starred, is currently playing for second division Agrinio.

He had an average 13.5 points and 6 rebounds before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus.

Just like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Okekuoyen started playing football during his youth but his rapid growth led him to the basketball courts.

“At the age of around 12, I started to grow very tall and put on some extra weight, something that did not help me continue with football,” he told Sport FM in an interview.

The left-handed, 135kg player met the three NBA-starring Antetokounmpo brothers at Filathlitikos “and became friends….Giannis knows he is my big bro.”

While playing for Filathlitikos, he was given a scholarship to play in the US from 2016 to this year.

“I saw LeBron James in person when I went to see Giannis play. Giannis had given me a ticket to go to the locker rooms. It was one of my best experiences to see my idol in person.” – Rappler.com

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