How Giannis Antetokounmpo and Spouse Mariah Turned Teammates for Life

However, the move wasn’t exactly a slam dunk.

“He went out to Mariah, and Mariah was like, ‘No, I don’t give my numbers out,'” Giannis recalled in the 2024 documentary Giannis: The Marvelous Journey, with Mariah adding, “I told him to find me on Instagram or something like that.”

Still, the NBA star rebounded. And when Giannis went on a family trip to Miami a few months later, he invited Mariah to come along.

“I was really nervous ’cause you just never know what to expect,” the 33-year-old, a former Division I volleyball player for Rice University, continued in the doc. “And I get to Miami. When I first walked in, he’s like, ‘Oh, this is my mom, and this is my dad.’ I’m like, ‘What the heck did I just get myself into?'”

However, Giannis’ love of family ended up scoring some points with Mariah, now mom to their four kids: Liam, 6, Maverick, 4, Eva, 2, and Aria, 14 months.

“That was my first interaction of OK this guy is different,” she remembered. “He’s not spending it with friends or his entourage. He was with his family.”