In case you missed the event, you may watch the recorded program here.
Join us for a very special screening of the brand new, feature-length documentary from Improbable Media and Words + Pictures: Giannis: The Marvelous Journey. This is the definitive, first-person account of NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s unparalleled journey from young immigrant to global icon.
The film screening will be followed by a talkback with Director Kristen Lappas and Improbable Media co-founder and former NBA superstar and current ESPN analyst Jay Williams.
The film is an intimate portrait of a global superstar and one of the NBA’s most dominating performers, a two-time league MVP who led the Milwaukee Bucks to a championship in 2021. But his path began a world away from the spotlight, on the streets of Athens, Greece, where he was raised on the margins of society, alongside three brothers, by parents who’d immigrated from Nigeria in search of a better life.
As the documentary recounts, one day in an internet café, young Giannis was captivated by images of NBA stars, and soon after picked up a basketball. From there unfolded an epic journey, at turns inspiring, heartbreaking, and triumphant, ultimately landing him in his adopted home of Milwaukee, where he emerged as “The Greek Freak,” a superstar who transcends conventional limits, transforming 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 Antetokounmpo and his entire family, including his mother Veronica, his brothers Thanasis, Kostas, and Alex, and his fiancée Mariah Riddlesprigger, 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.
Presented by Prime Video, Giannis: The Marvelous Journey is an Improbable Media and Words + Pictures production. The film is directed and produced by Emmy Award winner Kristen Lappas, produced by Connor Schell and Hannah Beir, and executive produced by Aaron Cohen, Libby Geist, Nick Monroe, and Giorgos Panou.
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Kristen Lappas is a director and producer with Words + Pictures. Lappas has twice won Emmys for her short sports documentaries (Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible and A Mountain to Climb) and has also had her work featured at the Tribeca Film Festival, and honored by AFI Docs, the NAMIC Vision Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and more. Lappas’ short film Arthur which she directed in 2017, was adapted into a scripted movie starring Mark Wahlberg and premieres in the spring of 2024. Lappas served as a consultant on that feature. Lappas began her career at ESPN. During her time with ESPN Films, Lappas produced eight installments of the Peabody Award-winning series 30 for 30.
Most recently, Lappas directed a 30 for 30 multi-part documentary called "Dream On." The project was nominated for an IDA award and Lappas won in the "Best Non-Fiction Show Director" category at the Women's Image Awards for the series. Her newest project took her to Greece multiple times to direct Prime Video’s Giannis: The Marvelous Journey. Greek herself, and the daughter of a former Villanova head basketball coach, Lappas’ time on this film took her back to her roots.
Jay Williams is a media personality, entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author and former No. 2 overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft for the Chicago Bulls. He was the consensus NCAA National Player of the Year during his junior year at Duke and is one of the most accomplished college basketball players of all time. Williams is now the lead commentator for ESPN’s College GameDay and one of the faces of college basketball. Along with global superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, he launched Improbable Media in January 2024, serving as chairman of the next generation production and brand consulting company.
