Milwaukee honors Giannis with giant mural

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo missed out on being the NBA’s Most Valuable Player this year, but he’s getting some love from another source. An artist has created a three-story mural of the 27-year-old on the side of a building in downtown Milwaukee. The mural, created by artist Mauricio Ramirez, can be found at 600 East Wisconsin Avenue.

Giannis and the Bucks give Milwaukee a shot in the arm

The city has much to be grateful for to the two-time NBA MVP. With him leading the way, the team won their first NBA championship trophy in 50 years. Aside from pride and prestige, this win also brought in a huge amount of money to the city.

According to figures released by Visit Milwaukee, the playoffs and finals performance of the Bucks raked in $57.6 million for the city, coming from both direct and indirect spending. The income was a much-needed boost to the local economy, particularly businesses which were hard-hit by the covid-19 pandemic.

The championship games also brought in $1.107 million in local taxes.

Giannis Antetokounmpo: Mural is ‘amazing’

In a post-game press conference, Antetokounmpo said that he learned about the existence of the mural through his mother, and that he has seen it for himself.

“It’s amazing.I appreciate the support they show the Bucks, the support they show to me, the love,” he said.

“Playing basketball, you never expect things like that to happen. You just play basketball. You should love the game. You enjoy the game. But I feel like once you dedicate yourself to your team and to the city, people feel that,” the big man added.