Prime Video announced the upcoming release of Giannis: The Marvelous Journey, a feature-length documentary that chronicles the extraordinary odyssey of NBA mega-star Giannis Antetokounmpo from an impoverished childhood in Greece as the son of Nigerian immigrants to the very top of the basketball world. The documentary will premiere February 19 exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.Giannis: The Marvelous Journey is the latest addition to the Prime membership. Prime members in the U.S. enjoy savings, convenience, and entertainment, all in a single membership.
The film is an intimate portrait of a global superstar and one of the NBA’s most dominating performers, a two-time league MVP who led the Milwaukee Bucks to a championship in 2021. But his path began a world away from the spotlight, on the streets of Athens, where he was raised on the margins of society, alongside three brothers, by parents who’d immigrated from Nigeria in search of a better life. As the documentary recounts, one day in an internet café, young Giannis was captivated by images of NBA stars, and soon after picked up a basketball. From there unfolded an epic journey, at turns inspiring, heartbreaking, and triumphant, ultimately landing him in his adopted home of Milwaukee, where he emerged as “The Greek Freak,” a superstar who transcends conventional limits, transforming the game with his athleticism and versatility, all the while striving to use the memory of the loss he endured along the way to spearhead an impact far beyond the court.
Giannis: The Marvelous Journey features interviews with Giannis Antetokounmpo and his entire family, including his mother Veronica Antetokounmpo, his brothers Thanasis, Kostas, and Alex Antetokounmpo, and his fiancée Mariah Riddlesprigger, as well as basketball luminaries Jason Kidd, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Kenny Smith, Vin Baker, Ernie Johnson, and more. It marks the first time the family has given first-person accounts on their collective journey.
Presented by Prime Video, Giannis: The Marvelous Journey is an Improbable Media and Words + Pictures production. The film is directed and produced by Emmy Award winner Kristen Lappas, produced by Connor Schell and Hannah Beir, and executive produced by Aaron Cohen, Libby Geist, Nick Monroe, and Giorgos Panou.