Giannis Antetokounmpo and his wife, Mariah, welcomed baby number four, a baby girl named Aria Capri to the world at the beginning of May. In a recent interview, the Milwaukee Bucks player shared how fatherhood has brought out his “soft side” and why he is now partnering with Huggies.
“I love hugging my kids and kissing them and cuddling them and playing with them and wrestling them,” Antetokounmpo told Parents.com. “Growing up, I didn’t have that as much from my dad. So this is a soft side of me with my kids that a lot of people don’t know about. I want to keep it that way, just for my kids.”
“But also, I think I’m a dad that’s straight to the point, big on respect, like respect your mom, respect your dad, respect your elders, and making sure they’re grateful and appreciative of all the things.”
The father-of-four goes on to say in his interview that when he needs parenting advice, he leans on three people in particular: his wife, mother Veronica, and older brother, Thanasis, who has two children of his own. “I have an incredible wife that pretty much shows me the ropes of how to take care of my kids,” he said.
Antetokounmpo goes on to outline one of his main goals as a parent-to simply ensure that his children feel loved growing up. “Even though I wasn’t raised with a lot, I felt loved; I felt a home full of joy,” he says. “It was always lively in the house.”
The 30-year-old also wants to spread that love and security to others, which is one of his main reasons for partnering with Huggies to promote their Little Movers diapers. In the adorable video campaign, 20-month-old daughter, Eva, joins her father on the court, showing off her own skills.
“Eva was able to show a little bit of her basketball skills,” the Milwaukee Bucks star joked. “I was very happy to do something like that with my daughter, which was a first; I’ve never done anything like that before.”
Antetokounmpo stated that giving back to those in need played a big part in his decision to partner with Huggies. He reminisced that there were times that his own mother “wasn’t able to afford diapers,” so he wanted to ensure that others didn’t have to go through the same thing.
“There was times that my mom wasn’t able to afford diapers, and she used to use bed sheets as diapers for me and my brothers. I always had that in my mind.”
He continued, “It’s something that makes me happy, something that makes my family proud, and something that I think when my kids get older, they can see that as an example and copy it,” he says of giving back.
To read Antetokounmpo’s interview in its entirety, click here.
In addition to daughters, Eva and Aria, Antetokounmpo and Mariah share two sons Maverick, 3, and Liam, 5.
Photo: Huggies; Giannis Antetokounmpo Instagram
