Giannis Antetokounmpo And Girlfriend Announce Birth Of Baby Boy, Teammates Helped Prepare Him For Fatherhood
Giannis Antetokounmpo is enjoying a stellar year both on and off the court. Following up his first MVP with another stellar year, the Greek Freak also announced his girlfriend gave birth to a baby boy. Luckily, his teammates have been preparing the All Star for fatherhood.
In the fall, Antetokounmpo and girlfriend Mariah Riddlesprigger announced they were expecting a baby by posting the news on social media. They posted a stuffed deer along with a tiny Antetokounmpo jersey and included a caption saying the baby was “coming soon.”
On Monday, the Milwaukee Bucks forward went on Twitter to announce the birth of their son.
The 25-year-old introduced his son to the world with a brief tweet. Antetokounmpo also included a photo of the newborn in a crib wearing a white cap, wrapped in a blanket and sheets with little chickens on them. The Greek Freak opted to cover his infant son’s face with a baby emoji.
Congratulations began to pour in with the tweet receiving over 24,000 retweets and 260,000 likes.
“Congrats!!!!!!!!!!! Very happy for you,” two-time NBA champion, Pau Gasol wrote.
“Congratulations king,” a fan replied.
“Congrats, he will be great friends with Fred VanVleet Jr,” another fan wrote in reference to the Raptors guard who welcomed the birth of his first son during last year’s playoffs.
The All Star team captain mentioned VanVleet when he spoke to ESPN about the upcoming birth of his first child. In a matchup against Antetokounmpo’s Bucks, the Raptors guard shot horribly prior to the birth of his son but caught fire once his son was born.
“Look at Fred VanVleet. He started making all those shots when he had his kid. Maybe that happens to me also. Who knows?” the odds-on favorite for MVP said.
Although Antetokounmpo sat out Monday’s game against the Sacramento Kings, the All Star does not plan on missing much time.
“We’ve got a job to do,” he told ESPN.
The first-time father has been going to his teammates for guidance. Eric Bledsoe told the outlet that he is experienced having two children, ages 8 and 4. He’s tried to impart wisdom on Antetokounmpo but ultimately says “nothing can teach him how to be a dad.”
The point guard says the expecting father had been treating it like he does basketball by asking probing questions and trying to pick up “tips.”
Leading up to the birth of baby Liam, Antetokounmpo admitted it added extra motivation to perform well and how excited he was to get home after games and find his son waiting for him.
