Prime Video introduces the new documentary Giannis: The Marvelous Journey, the definitive first-person account of NBA mega-star Giannis Antetokounmpo’s odyssey from an impoverished childhood in Greece as the son of Nigerian immigrants to the very top of the basketball world.

Before becoming one of the NBA’s most dominating performers (a two-time league MVP who led the Milwaukee Bucks to a championship in 2021), Giannis’ path began on the streets of Athens, where he was raised on the margins of society, by parents who immigrated from Nigeria in search of a better life. After finding images of NBA stars in an Internet café, Giannis picked up a basketball. From there unfolded an epic journey, ultimately landing him in his adopted home of Milwaukee, where he emerged as “The Greek Freak,” a superstar who transformed the game with his athleticism and versatility, all the while striving to use the memory of the loss he endured along the way to spearhead an impact far beyond the court. Giannis: The Marvelous Journey features interviews with Giannis and his entire family as well as basketball luminaries Jason Kidd, Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Kenny Smith, Vin Baker Ernie Johnson and more. It marks the first time the family has given first-person accounts on their collective journey.

Of Greek descent herself, Emmy Award-winning director Kristen Lappas visited Greece many times in the making of this film, getting back to her own family roots. The daughter of Steve Lappas (former basketball coach at both Villanova and Manhattan College, and now an analyst for CBS Sports in New York), Kristen produced eight installments of ESPN’s acclaimed 30 for 30 series, and directed the 30 for 30 multi-part series Dream On about the 1996 gold-medal-winning U.S. women’s basketball team. She won Emmys for her short sports docs Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible and A Mountain to Climb and her short film Arthur was adapted into a movie starring Mark Wahlberg and premieres in 2024.