Milwaukee Bucks forward and two-time NBA most valuable player Giannis Antetokounmpo recently launched his own company, Improbable Media, along with former ESPN analyst and point guard Jay Williams. The entity is set to release its first project titled Giannis: The Marvelous Journey presented by Prime Video, which will look back at the rise of Antetokounmpo from his childhood in Greece to his stardom in the NBA.
This feature-length documentary includes interviews with Antetokounmpo’s family, including his brothers Thanasis, Kostas and Alex, along with various basketball luminaries such as Jason Kidd, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday. TNT Sports Inside the NBA cast members Ernie Johnson and Kenny “The Jet” Smith were also interviewed for the project, which will be available in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide upon its release on Monday, Feb. 19, 2024.
From his early days on the streets of Athens, Greece being raised by parents who immigrated from Nigeria looking for a better life to now, Antetokounmpo’s path to the NBA is chronicled within this documentary. The film recalls how Antetokounmpo saw images of star players in the NBA while in an internet café, propelling him to pursue a career in the sport. After several seasons in Greece, he was selected in the first round by the Milwaukee Bucks and rapidly emerged as one of the top players in the sport. Standing out for his athleticism and skillset, he was given the nickname “The Greek Freak” and has made considerable impacts both on and off the court.
The Words + Pictures production company was involved in the project, along with Improbable Media and Prime Video. Emmy Award-winner Kristen Lappas directed the film, while Connor Schell and Hannah Beir served as producers. Executive producers for the project are Aaron Cohen, Libby Geist, Nick Monroe and Giorgos Panou. Amazon Prime members will have access to this documentary upon its release as part of their subscription to the premium service.
In addition to this documentary, Antetokounmpo and his media company aim to further establish a content studio to create original and commercial projects on various platforms. Former Red Bull Media House and Fusion Media Network executive Jonathan Stern is serving as the company’s chief executive officer as it endeavors in the space.
In a recent interview with Sports Business Journal, Stern revealed that the company has been working on several projects to ensure it enters “the marketplace with some heft.” One of these includes a trip Antetokounmpo made last summer to Nigeria, he told the outlet. Moreover, he stated that this upcoming documentary – Giannis: The Marvelous Journey – will “set the tone” for the company as it prepares to add to its content portfolio, which already includes an Emmy Award win for The Flagmakers with National Geographic.
Various athletes have entered into the media space with either part or full ownership in companies. Some recent examples include LeBron James (SpringHill Company), Stephen Curry (Unanimous Media) and Shannon Sharpe (Shay Shay Media). Improbable Media has investors such as Verance Capital and GPS Investment Partners as it builds out both its media and production businesses and brand strategy division, Nuance. Antetokounmpo, along with Williams and Stern, will now look to continue establishing momentum in the space as the documentary is set to premiere in the near future.
“It’s a very personal story that I am excited to share with the world,” Antetokounmpo explained. “You’ll see me in everything Improbable does. And the Amazon documentary tells the story that is the foundation for all of this.”
