Remember when Giannis Antetokounmpo won his back-to-back MVP title? At the time, the Lakers led the Western Conference. The Greek Freak’s Bucks were one of the favorites to win the championship. Guess who finished second in the MVP race? It was LeBron James, who just won his fourth ring. This was the height of competition between the two. Regardless, Giannis always had respect for LeBron ‘The King’ James.

Giannis called LeBron the best player in the world following his fourth championship, despite winning the MVP for the second time in a row.. “He is the best player in the world right now. It doesn’t matter who is the MVP, he is the best,” Giannis said. However, his praise for the King didn’t end there. In 2023, Giannis praised LeBron for setting a blueprint for players on how to be the best version of themselves on the court and being a better person off the court.

“For 21 years, you never get in trouble, to be able to take in his family, protect this family, raise his kids the right way, you know, be happily married, all those things, it’s perfect. He’s kind of like setting the blueprint for the rest of us to go forward. That’s what I want. I want to be able to do what I do on the court consistently, be good, be healthy, be available for my team, be able to, you know, raise my family in a bubble away from what I do on the court,” Giannis said.

A year later, Giannis invited LeBron to his wedding in Costa Navarino. Moreover, this special occasion will happen from August 30 to September 1. The 2x MVP has decided to keep this event private with about 200 guests. These include LeBron James and even Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. How private you might think? The guests will have to leave their phones before entering the venue. The couple will select professional photographers to take care of their wedding photographs.

While private, the event is expected to be luxurious. The guests will be escorted to the venue via helicopters from Kalamata Airport. The wedding will also feature a unique tradition because Giannis comes from an orthodox background whereas his fiance is a catholic. But who is Giannis’ future wife?

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Mariah have been together for almost a decade

Giannis and her fiance, Mariah Riddlesprigger have been together since 2016. The couple have been dating since then and were recently engaged in September 2023. They welcomed their firstborn, Liam in February 2020 right before the league halted the rest of the season.

When Giannis won his first championship the following year, he and his wife announced the birth of their second son, Maverick Shai in September 2021. The couple is also a parent to their youngest child, their daughter, Eva Brooke. As they finally plan their wedding, Giannis will come off a memorable offseason this year. It will be interesting to see if Giannis and Mariah share their wedding pictures later on social media.

What are your thoughts on Giannis’ private wedding? Let us know in the comments.

Feel that you can do with another update from the sport of basketball? Then do check out this recent interview with the up-and-coming Georgia Lady Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.