Giannis Antetokounmpo and his bronze medal run at EuroBasket 2025 was overshadowed by an alarming incident involving his family.
After Greece fell to Turkey in the semifinal, Giannis’s wife Mariah revealed she received a death threat from a Turkish fan on social media, per BasketNews. She immediately called out the message in a public post.
“People in this world are so disappointing! All over a basketball! I hope that those making hateful comments and sending disgusting messages to my family are proud of yourselves,” Mariah wrote.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s wife, Mariah, shared that her and their family received death threats during EuroBasket 2025 😢 pic.twitter.com/dX6s0FLYCU
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) September 16, 2025
“But since you want to reach out to me privately I will be sure to let the world know publically who you are!” Mariah continued.
“And to all Turkiye fans, congratulations on your medal, yall have an amazing team! However to your fans, there’s no place for this type of behavior in sports. Actually there’s no place for this type of behavior period!”
The incident came just one day before Greece rebounded to secure bronze with a dramatic 92-89 victory over Finland. Giannis was emotional after the game, seen crying as Greece stood on the podium for the first time since 2009.
Later that night, the two-time NBA MVP said, “Take the f**king Turkey flag out,” on an Instagram Live session.
As well as the death threats, Giannis was called out by Turkish big Alperen Sengun.
The Bucks star later apologised for the outburst on his IG live.
On his Instagram story, Giannis wrote:
“During my live feed, I made an inappropriate comment responding to somebody that was making disrespectful remarks. My intention was never to offend anyone. And I’m deeply sorry. I have nothing but love and respect for Turkey and people around the world. That’s how our prents raised us with love and respect.”
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