Giannis Antetokounmpo has given fans a peak behind the curtain into his personal life and he is coming to the defense of his wife.
The new Miami Heat star joined “AnesTea The Podcast” this week and touched a lot on his relationship with wife Mariah, including responding to people who believe Antetokounmpo had better options available.
“I’ve heard so many things. ‘Why is Giannis with this wife? He could be with a model. Not one model but ten!’ But I am with my wife because she tells me the truth,” he said. “She loves me, she will tell me whenever I do anything wrong. She will tell my kids the truth. I know that she will kill for my kids and she would even kill me for them. I know that she won’t let my kids get a big head, and that’s the most important thing for me.
“I am in love. I am in love with her. As a woman and as a mother.”
The two-time MVP and 10-time All-Star met Mariah during the NBA’s Summer League in Las Vegas in 2014 ahead of his second year in the league.
While sharing the story recently, the 31-year-old said he saw his future when meeting her.
“Yes. I knew she would be my wife. I knew it immediately,” he said. “I met her in Vegas. After Vegas, I tried to talk to her, but it didn’t work out. Then later she said, ‘I want to get to know you.’ I said, ‘You want to get to know me?’ So I started flying to Miami. You know how a lot of girls say, ‘You’re going to fly me out?’ I was like, ‘Mm-mm.’
“She was like, ‘Say less.’ A week later, I was in Miami, and she showed up. I was like, ‘You came?’ She said, ‘Yeah, I want to get to know you.’ Then she started spending time with my mom and my dad while he was still alive. The moment I saw her, I knew she was the person I wanted to be with. From the moment she came to Miami until today, she has never left my side. Now we have four kids.”
Mariah has been a constant for Antetokounmpo as he made a name for himself from a prospect in Milwaukee to an NBA champ.
The couple welcomed their first child, Liam Charles Antetokounmpo, in February 2020.
They have since had three more children — Maverick Shai, 4, Eva Brooke, 2, and Aria Capri, who just turned one in May.
They tied the knot in a private ceremony in Greece in August 2024.
The Antetokounmpos will be under going through a big change this year as Giannis was traded to the Heat in June along with Bobby Portis in exchange for Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, the No. 13 pick in the 2026 draft and a 2033 second-round pick and a pick swap in 2030.
Antetokounmpo played only 36 games in 2025, averaging 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists. He was sidelined for the majority of the season with knee issues.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
