Disney+ has released the first trailer for Rise, based on the incredible real-life story of the family of NBA superstar and MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family.
The film will focus on the journey NBA’s first trio of brothers to win an NBA championship, Giannis and Thanasis who won a championship for the Milwaukee Bucks and Kostas who won a championship with the Lakers, as well as their youngest brother Alex. The film will debut on June 24, exclusively on Disney+.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was drafted with the 15th pick in the 2013 NBA draft as a skinny, tall longshot who was discovered playing in the lower leagues of Greek basketball.
He has become one of the best players in the NBA, winning the MVP and his first championship alongside his older brother Thanasis in 2021 with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Antetokounmpos are a staple in the NBA, with three brothers currently in the league, with Kostas Antetokounmpo being a part of the title-winning Lakers in 2020.
Rise also stars Dayo Okeniyi, Yetide Badaki, Manish Dayal and Taylor Nichols along with includes Ral Agada and Uche Agada. The film was directed by Akin Omotoso (Vaya), and written by Arash Amel (A Private War). It is produced by Bernie Goldmann, with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Douglas S. Jones serving as the executive producers.
Here's the official description of the upcoming film:
Audiences have never seen a story like that of the Antetokounmpos. After emigrating from Nigeria to Greece, Charles and Vera Antetokounmpo (Dayo Okeniyi and Yetide Badaki, respectively) struggled to survive and provide for their five children while living under the daily threat of deportation. With their oldest son still in Nigeria with relatives, the couple were desperate to obtain Greek citizenship but found themselves undermined by a system that blocked them at every turn. When they weren’t selling items to tourists on the streets of Athens with the rest of the family, the brothers – Giannis (Uche Agada) and Thanasis (Ral Agada) – would play basketball with a local youth team. Latecomers to the sport, they discovered their great abilities on the basketball court and worked hard to become world class athletes, along with brother, Kostas (Jaden Osimuwa). With the help of an agent, Giannis entered the NBA Draft in 2013 in a long shot prospect that would change not only his life but the life of his entire family. And last season, Giannis and Thanasis helped bring the Milwaukee Bucks their first championship ring in 50 years, while Kostas played for the previous season champs, the Los Angeles Lakers.
