Giannis Antetokounmpo Reveals His Little-Known Last Name and Talks Cultural Identities with Hasan Minhaj
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NBA All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo and comedian Hasan Minhaj know what it's like to deal with constant mispronunciations of their names — so they turned it into a game.
The duo star in WhatsApp's original digital short, "The Game of Adetokunbo," shared exclusively with PEOPLE, and in the spot, Antetokounmpo, 28, and Minhaj, 37, both dual-cultured individuals from immigrant backgrounds, face off for a game of HORSE — with a cultural twist.
The short shows Minhaj, a self-proclaimed basketball fanatic who played in the 2023 All-Star Celebrity Game, suggesting to Antetokounmpo that the word "HORSE" be replaced with Giannis' lesser-known Yoruba name, Adetokunbo. Changing the game's name allowed the stars to have an important conversation around their complicated yet parallel experiences with their given names.
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In a release, Antetokounmpo, who was born in Athens, Greece, explained, "Most people don't know that Giannis is not my only first name. Ugo is my Nigerian name, and it's actually the only name my closest friends and family use on our private WhatsApp chats."
The NBA champion added, "I know that many, like Hasan and I, have similar relationships with their names, and we're proud to bring to light this real story about culture that billions of people around the world can relate to."
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Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE, Antetokounmpo says he loves to share "everything" about his culture with fans and friends. "I don't think there's one thing I like to share," he explains.
"My culture comes from different continents and values," the Milwaukee Bucks star adds. "Culture to me is everything. It's the food you eat, the music you listen to, your history, your traditions. So when I share my culture, I share everything."
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Minhaj, whose parents immigrated from India to the United States, tells PEOPLE he loves celebrating all aspects of his culture.
"I love how much my culture celebrates family, food and shared memories together," he says. "And I love unapologetically showing that to the world."
