With his recent business initiatives, Giannis Antetokounmpo is expanding his business empire. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, he is investing in Avli, a new modern Greek restaurant that opened on September 20 in Milwaukee’s Brewers Hill district.
Antetokounmpo had a working relationship with the Avli Team prior to his investment that dated back to 2018. He originally dined at Avli Taverna in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood and has returned on a regular basis since then.
“The Avli Milwaukee team is excited and proud to confirm that the group has been working alongside Giannis and his excellent team of professionals, including agent Alex Saratsis and Giorgos Panos, for some time. This has resulted in an investment from their team in Avli Milwaukee,” the restaurant confirmed the partnership in a statement.
After successfully guiding the Milwaukee Bucks to their first NBA title in 50 years, Antetokounmpo made one of his first business moves by purchasing a share in Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers.
The purchase made the two-time MVP the first new private stakeholder added to the Milwaukee Brewers ownership group since Mark Attanasio obtained a controlling interest in the team in 2005.
Antetokounmpo also got his own signature sneaker from athletic footwear behemoth, the Zoom Freaks. He also collaborated with the deodorant brand Degree to help basketball student-athletes get NIL deals.The NBA player has also starred in a number of advertisements for well-known brands.
Following a spell with Greek basketball team Filathlitikos, Antetokounmpo was taken with the 15th overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2013.
In a 2019 interview with The Undefeated, Antetokounmpo discussed his upbringing in a Nigerian household in Greece and how it influenced his life.
“I grew up in a Nigerian home,” he said. “Obviously, I was born in Greece and went to school in Greece. But at the end of the day when I go home, there is no Greek culture. It’s straight-up Nigerian culture. It’s about discipline, it’s about respecting your elders, having morals.”
And, while the NBA star has yet to visit his parents’ native Nigeria, he has indicated a desire to do so soon.
“I want to see where my family comes from, where my mom was raised, see my family, see where my dad was raised. That is very important. I hope my kids can do the same thing for me,” he said. “Obviously, I am going to have kids that are going to grow up in the U.S., but one day I hope they can go back [to Greece] and visit and see where I grew up, the playground I was playing.”