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Giannis Antetokounmpo, kids play basketball at superstar's home
Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo invited local kids to play basketball at his home, giving back as he prepares for the playoffs.
MILWAUKEE - As Giannis Antetokounmpo prepares for the first round of the NBA playoffs, he took some time out of his busy schedule Monday to give back.
"I went to Giannis’ house," said 11-year-old DeVon Jackson Jr. of Germantown. "We walked in the door, and we looked down, and it was the whole basketball court there, and so yeah, they let us shoot around and play."
Not only did Antetokounmpo spend time talking to 20 boys, he picked up a basketball and shot some hoops with them.
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"When I got to play one-on-one against him," Jackson said. "I missed the shot, you know. My only chance."
The idea came form Milwaukee Bucks Chaplain and Evolve Church Pastor Kenneth Lock.
"Just to show these young kids two Black men who, you know, come from similar backgrounds and sometimes even worse, and that we’ve both been able to use our stories to build something positive and to give back to others," Lock said.
The pastor said he wants to make sure Black boys in Milwaukee see the positive impact they can have in their city.
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"One of the things that Giannis talked to them about: Don’t just focus on being an athlete, there’s so many things that you can be," said Lock. "It’s amazing to hear an athlete tell them this isn’t the end. You can be a doctor, you can be the president, you can be an attorney."
As for Jackson, he left Antetokounmpo's house with the memories of a lifetime, but there's a couple things in particular he'll never forget.
DeVon Jackson, Jr. meets Giannis Antetokounmpo (Courtesy: DeVon Jackson)
"I walked up to him and asked if he could sign my shirt, and he said, 'yeah of course,'" Jackson said.
Jackson said he wants to play in the NBA one day. He said Antetokounmpo told him it takes a lot of hard work to play professional basketball.