Most professional athletes care about their brand. That’s a thing that matters to people more than ever. Why? Follow the money. Sponsorships lead to more money going into the pockets of the players meaning contracts aren’t exactly needed. Most athletes make the most money on sponsorships. This is started in the days of Michael Jordan and it has continued to grow into a behemoth. One of the reasons that people cited Giannis Antetokounmpo for possibly leaving Milwaukee was he couldn’t build a brand in the Cream City. This weekend is a great example of that being the least truthful thing about Giannis as his brand exploded in the last few days.

Over the All-Star weekend, Giannis is debuting three new things for people and his brand. He signed up with a deal for T-Mobile Metro promoting their cheap and affordable phone service. It appears he will be a T-Mobile sponsor throughout. Giannis is also in an airline safety video for Aegean Airlines, which is the largest Greek plane carrier. DraftExpress will be debuting a documentary feature on Antetokounmpo and how he grew from nothing to something seemingly in a few years. All of these promotions are great looks for the brand of Giannis.

This also ends the argument that Antetokounmpo needs a big city to lock down some major sponsor. A top international airline and one of the biggest phone providers in the United States are now with Giannis plus the TCL tv band that Antetokounmpo started sponsoring last October. Now that advertisers see Giannis on their television, expect more sponsorships to come the way of Antetokounmpo especially in the offseason.

Besides his play on the court, it’s no surprise to me that brands will latch on to him. He has an infectious personality that works great for the camera. Any brand would be lucky to have him.

Charlie.