Oreos & Unabashed Joy
Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo is a Greek professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). At least, that’s how his Wikipedia bio starts. Giannis, known largely in the world by a singular name putting him in the world of Prince and Madonna, plays basketball. And he’s very good. He recently won an MVP. And a World Championship (that was limited to teams in North America). But I don’t bring Giannis up to talk about basketball.
I’m here to talk about Oreos. Now, before we get to the chocolate treat, you should know a little more about Giannis. He’s grown up in the media spotlight and weathered storms of questions from reporters looking for a clickbait line or quote that could draw readers in. In recent years, it’s become clear that he’s not a typical superstar. Just listen to his response to a question about “Ego”.
Pretty great, right? Yeah, he’s the kind of person that seems to put thought into his every word. He knows that millions of eyeballs are on him and that he is a role model for children and adults alike. I’m grateful we have people like Giannis with a microphone in front of them.
Okay, so how does that relate to Oreos? We’re getting there.
First, let me set the stage. Giannis led the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA Finals in 2021 and in the clinching game, he scored 50 points. If you’re not a basketball fan, that’s a lot. He scored a lot of points. And that night, he became a world champion. So, you may be asking yourself: How did he celebrate?
Early the next day, he drove to a local Chick-fil-A and ordered a 50-piece chicken nugget. (See video below). This is pure joy. If you watch it, you’ll see that he’s on top of the world. And I know you’re sitting there twiddling your thumbs and asking, WHAT ABOUT THE OREOS?
Now, we talk about Oreos. Giannis’ love for Oreos has been well documented but it came to the forefront in this clip here when he told the story about how when he first entered the league, he saved up his money to buy Oreos.
“When I came to the league that was the first thing I ate because like, I was always — when I was younger I was always craving them and I could never afford them you know, so I was like OK, give me that. You get a little bit of money people go spend money on cars and chains, I went and bought Oreos right? So, I ate them for like a month straight. No dinner, no lunch, no nothing.”
What’s the lesson in all of this?
That’s largely up to you but I’d say it’s this: Love the little things. Love them loudly and without care for their importance or optics or weight in other people’s lives. For some people, they’ll just be cookies. For others, they’re a treat. For Giannis, they were a luxury.
Nobody is right. Nobody is wrong. Yet somehow everybody is right and everybody is wrong. Our experiences inform our lens of the world. And in an ideal world, we’d celebrate the hell out of another person finding joy. So let’s do our part.
What could be your Oreos? Find it and share it widely. Be like Giannis.
(Video below to listen to him tell the story AND explain how a young kid taught him how to dunk Oreos and blew his mind).
Bonus content: During this year’s playoffs, Giannis’ wife filmed him filling a massive jar with Oreos before a game. He’s methodical. He places each cookie with care and precision. It’s a craft.
Share with somebody that loves Oreos.