He and his family prioritize giving back after coming from humble beginnings.
The child of Nigerian immigrants, Antetokounmpo grew up as a second-class citizen in Greece's capital city. He and his brothers were "perpetually vulnerable to attacks by racist militants" and often faced "threats of deportation," all while they sold random goods to passersby on the streets to get money for food and shared a single pair of sneakers, according to The New York Times.
It's no surprise, then, that Antetokounmpo feels compelled to give back now that he's had so much good fortune by way of professional basketball. He and his brothers founded the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation to help give underprivileged individuals in the US, Greece, and Nigeria opportunities to rise above their station, just like the Antetokounmpos did.
"The Antetokounmpo family's path from the streets of Athens to the pinnacle of sport in America was encouraged at each turn by people with big hearts and outstretched hands," the CAFF website reads. "Our journey is proof that investing in others can unlock the potential inside every person — no matter where they start out or what difficulties they face."
The organization works to help improve the living conditions for refugees and immigrants, offer access to education to children regardless of their socioeconomic status, provide opportunities to participate in sports, support widows, and supply food and shelter to those in need.
Antetokounmpo engages in philanthropic efforts outside of the family's charity as well. He regularly works with the Milwaukee Bucks Foundation to raise money for a variety of causes, and he's an international ambassador for the Greek humanitarian aid organization, The Hellenic Institute, per OSDB Sports.
At the height of the pandemic, Antetokounmpo donated $100,000 to help employees at the Bucks' home arena get by, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He's worked at food drives, launched basketball academies for underprivileged athletes, and done so much more to help the communities he holds closest to his heart, per Money Smart Athlete Blog.