Former President Donald Trump praised the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo but got his nickname wrong: Instead of the “Greek freak” he referred to “the Greek”.
Speaking at a rally Wednesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump talked about the Republican National Convention held last week in Milwaukee.
“The stadium was beautiful. Milwaukee was beautiful.”
The 45th president accepted the Republican nomination at Fiserv Forum last Thursday. He spent a considerable amount of time at the arena, appearing all four nights, and he had brief comments on one of the occupants — the Milwaukee Bucks.
Trump: “You know ‘The Greek,’ right? ‘The Greek.’”
“Milwaukee was great,” Trump said. “They did a great job. The stadium is new. They built it for the basketball team, which is excellent. You know ‘The Greek,’ right? ‘The Greek.’”
Trump was referring to Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was born in Athens, Greece, to Nigerian parents. The two-time MVP led the Greek national team to the Olympics in Paris. He’ll be a part of the opening ceremonies on Friday as he was chosen by his fellow athletes as a flag bearer.
“He’s a good player,” Trump said.
His country of origin, in addition to his size, speed, and strength have earned him the nickname “Greek Freak”. At some moment, he shared that he initially disliked the nickname but has since learned to live with it. Nevertheless, Giannis is regarded as one of the greatest power forwards and players ever.
Earlier in July an emotional Giannis Antetokounmpo was seen crying tears of joy after helping to lead Greece to the Olympic Games.
The Milwaukee Bucks star and former NBA Most Valuable Player took a moment to himself on the bench and let his emotions overwhelm him after Greece knocked off Croatia 80-69 in one of the four men’s basketball qualifying tournament finals.
“The best athletes in the world compete in the Olympic Games,” Antetokounmpo said. “We have nothing to lose … I really believe we have an incredible team and we can accomplish something special.”
Trump has previously praised Milwaukee at his rallies since the convention ended, including one in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The remarks are in contrast with his comment in June in which he referred to Milwaukee as a “horrible city.”
At his rally, Trump went on the say the convention was the greatest convention in the history of conventions. “We had a convention that broke all television ratings,” he said.
