What's special about Giannis Antetokounmpo's jersey number 34?

For sportspersons, jersey numbers can be a very important asset at times. More often than not, there is some reason behind their donning of a jersey with a particular number. For football superstar Lionel Messi, fans easily associate the 10 as his jersey number. And for cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar as well, jersey number 10 was very special which he donned during his career.

Milwaukee Bucks' superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo wears jersey with the number 34 and there is a reason behind it. In an interaction with media in 2021, he had revealed that the number 34 honours his parents who have been the force behind his success as a basketball player. He had disclosed that his mother and father were born in the year 1963 and 1964 respectively. So he took the 3 from his mother's birth year and the 4 from his father's birth year and came up with the number 34 to don on his jersey. Giannis' brother Thanasis did the opposite and started wearing 43 on his jersey.

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Giannis' jersey number 34 is one of the best selling merchandises in NBA and the credit goes to his immense popularity. His humble origins as the son of immigrants who came from Nigeria, inspires many. In 2022, a movie named 'Rise' was released chronicling his family's life struggles and their support to their sons' interest in basketball.

Meanwhile, in the absence of Giannis on Saturday, Bucks lost 116-125 to Golden State Warriors on Saturday night at Chase Center. The game got tied after four rounds with both teams scoring 111 each. But Warriors turned the tide in over time as they scored 14 points as against just 5 points by Bucks. With the victory, Warriors are now 35-33 in the season and at the sixth position in the standings for western conference.

Milwaukee Bucks are currently at the top of the standings for Eastern Conference, with 48 wins and 19 losses.

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