AntetokounBros Academy: Season 3 is completed - The first friendly games, scholarships, and a celebratory closing ceremony

The AntetokounBros Academy is a pioneering initiative that combines basketball with education and training with inspiration. A place where sport is a means to spark development and growth, not an end in and of itself. This basketball academy dreamed up and founded by Giannis, Thanasis, Kostas, and Alex Antetokounmpo – and run with the support of Nike, the Onassis Foundation, and the Eurohoops Organization – seeks to empower young people from vulnerable social groups.

This year’s season saw 100 athletes and 12 junior coaches set out on a journey of self-improvement, with basketball as their vehicle. Many of the children had never even touched a basketball before. Guided by the Antetokounmpo brothers, and by the love and know-how offered up by Head Coach Evina Maltsi and her entire team of coaches, the children reached the point where they could play their first full games.

The season climax included a series of events that went above and beyond the Academy’s scheduled training sessions, with friendly games played against the Olympiacos Basketball Academy proving a particular highlight. Before they could play against athletes from one of the best clubs in Greece, our students needed to be truly well prepared. With this in mind, the AntetokounBros Academy organized its first internal 3x3 tournament. On the Ellinorosson courts, fellow students found themselves rivals for the first time. The children got the chance to learn the rules and guiding principles of this newly-minted Olympic sport, and to utilize everything they’d been taught by their coaches throughout the season: to respect their rivals, to trust their teammates, to believe in their abilities, and – of course – to shoot hoops. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the games and, once done, the coaches applauded the efforts of all the teams and handed out commemorative medals.

One week later, it was time for their first friendlies, with the Leonteios School of Athens’ indoor court welcoming athletes from both the AntetokounBros and Olympiacos Academies. The games proved great fun for all involved, both on and off the court. The AntetokounBros Academy girls even came close to snatching victory. But the hard work and impressive progress made by all the students – that was the greatest victory of all. Every AntetokounBros Academy athlete showed that the message being shared by the Antetokounmpo brothers is powerful enough to inspire one and all.

As thrilling as these first games were, this season’s excitement didn’t end there. The Academy’s first scholarships – awarded by the Onassis Foundation – gave athletes and junior coaches the chance to travel internationally, acquiring new skills and life experiences through a series of seminars, training sessions, and language classes, and to immerse themselves in local cultures, developing social interaction and communication skills. Specifically, two junior coaches – one from each year group – travelled to Valencia to take part in the EuroProBasket Summer League Academy basketball camp, allowing them to further develop their coaching skills. EuroProBasket is the world leader in basketball opportunities, offering advanced training with professional coaches at the most advanced basketball facilities in Europe. Seven athletes from across the Academy’s first two seasons were selected, on the basis of their great progress, to attend Studio Cambridge – a summer school in Cambridge, UK – where they undertook a two-week program involving skill-development workshops, talks, visits to local landmarks, and courses of academic study, all with the support of the British Council. Such opportunities broaden the children’s horizons and show that what matters is not where you start from – what matters is where you can reach.

The year was brought to a close by a celebratory closing ceremony held on July 9. The Academy athletes were handed their medals and diplomas, and honors were given to the season’s best athletes, including two students awarded “One of a Kind” scholarships by the Onassis Foundation to cover their undergraduate expenses. Another eight one-year basketball scholarships were also announced, with six going to the most improved athletes at the Academy, and two going to junior coaches who set themselves apart during training.