The Case for the "Thanalysis" Podcast

          Ever since he was drafted with the 51st overall pick in the 2014 draft, Thanasis Antetokounmpo has been a constant presence in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for the New York Knicks in the 2015-16 season before joining his current team, the Milwaukee Bucks, in 2020. He played a role in Milwaukee’s 2021 Championship run, the team’s first since 1971. Whilst Thanasis has never been the best player in the league, only averaging 2.4 points per game in his NBA career, he has been described by many in the league as a great locker-room presence and routinely expresses his support for his teammates from the bench. Recently, in an attempt to spread his know-how and opinions on topics beyond the sphere of just basketball, Antetokounmpo started his own podcast called Thanalysis. He has had many famed guests on the pod, such as DJ Shawna, Alex Antetokounmpo—his youngest brother—and Jake Paul among others, proving that his on-court success translates to anything that he attempts.

          Thanasis’ second brother, Giannis, also plays in the NBA. The middle Antetokounmpo brother is a future Hall-of-Famer with two Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards, one Defensive Player of the Year Award, one NBA Finals MVP award, and eight All-Star selections under his belt in his 11 seasons in the league. 

          In the podcast, Thanasis Antetokounmpo unboxes a pair of Nike Zoom Freak 5 All-Star Edition, Thanasis repeatedly emphasizes the importance of inspiration. The oldest Antetokounmpo commented on how he hoped that basketball players around the world would be able to use his family’s story as motivation in their own journeys, saying that he hopes the shoe “will be seen as a symbol” of all the dedication that the Antetokounmpo family has shown in order to get to this point. 

          When Thanasis talked about the story behind the shoe; how it represented the way he and Giannis inspired and relied on each other, it was as if he were talking directly to me. Growing up with two other siblings in Taipei, my family and I routinely brought the best out of each other. The effort and determination my parents showed in their day-to-day lives inspired my brother, my sister, and myself to work hard in hopes of someday achieving greatness, just as Thanasis has.