Giannis Antetokounmpo is a two-time NBA MVP, a Finals MVP, and one of the most dominant basketball players alive. But on Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta, he was just another soccer fan in a bar.
Argentina knocked England out of the World Cup semifinals with a 2-1 win. And the newest Miami Heat star was there to see it. Actually, he didn’t just show up. He posted a photo on Instagram with his wife Mariah under the caption: “Dad, I just went to a World Cup match.” The kind of casual flex that makes you forget for a second that he’s 6-foot-11 and built like a Greek god.
The Greek Freak’s soccer fandom isn’t some new thing he picked up after joining the Heat’s ownership group for Nashville SC in 2023. It runs deep. He grew up playing the sport in Greece alongside basketball. His father Charles was a professional soccer player for Sunshine Stars FC in Nigeria. One of his brothers, Francis, still plays professionally in Nigeria. And Antetokounmpo himself has joked that if he wasn’t 6-foot-11, he’d probably be in the Premier League right now.
Argentina-Spain Final Is a Big Deal
Sunday’s World Cup final in New Jersey pits defending champion Argentina against Spain. Argentina is trying to repeat. Spain is looking for its first title since 2010. Antetokounmpo was also spotted earlier in the day at Brewhouse Cafe in Atlanta watching Spain beat France 2-0 in the other semifinal. So he’s clearly locked in.
This is also a guy who owns a piece of Chelsea Women in the Women’s Super League. So his soccer portfolio is growing almost as fast as his basketball one.
What This Means for the Heat
All of this happens as Antetokounmpo prepares for his first season in Miami after 13 years in Milwaukee. The Heat traded for him this offseason, and they’re not done. The front office is aggressively working the free agent market to build around Giannis, Andrew Wiggins, and Bam Adebayo. And yeah, they’re reportedly sniffing around LeBron James too. That part is still very much in the rumor stage but it’s out there.
For now though, Antetokounmpo is doing exactly what you’d expect from a guy who just arrived in a new city with championship expectations. He’s taking in the local scene. Watching world-class soccer. Posting about it. And letting everyone know that even after all the trophies and all the money, he’s still just a guy who loves the game.
Whatever that game is.
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