Giannis Antetokounmpo Invites Church Youth Group To His House To Shoot Hoops

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo knows the importance of motivating and inspiring the next generation. He recently took time out of his day before the NBA Playoffs and began spending time with a local Milwaukee church youth group. The kids experienced a day they'll not soon forget.

Evolve Church in Milwaukee and Kenneth Lock, the church's lead pastor and official chaplain/barber for the Milwaukee Bucks, shared photos and videos on Instagram from the exciting day spent at Antetokounmpo's home.

"Surprised some of our youth who have been working hard to be better scholars with a trip to hang out with Giannis," the caption of the carousel begins.

"My Brother @giannis_an34, thank you for thethe heart and time you poured into our kids. You changed their lives forever!"

Photos and videos in the carousel tell the story of a fun day that included shooting hoops, chatting with the NBA star, getting tons of goodies to take home, and, of course, Antetokounmpo's signature. And let's not forget the fantastic memories these kids take away from that day.

The mom of one of the children who went to Antetokounmpo's house for the special event shared a video on her Instagram page of her son playing basketball with the Bucks star.

She explained in the caption that her son, Kae, has been "praying to meet Giannis," and his dream came true.

"But who would havehave thought he would be able to meet him this way! At his house," she wrote in the caption. "This will forever be a memory/experience Kae will never forget!"

Kae even "got a bucket on Giannis" to make his memory sweeter.

Followers of the church and pastor dropped into the comment section of the carousel to leave their thoughts on the kids' fantastic opportunity.

"THIS!!! Talk about impact. Love it," one follower wrote. Another added, "You've done a great deed, my brother. Wait until they grow up and come back to tell you what that experience meant and how it was applied in their lives. 🙏🏾"

Another mom of one of the kids wrote, "Thank you, @kennethlockii and @giannis_an34, for making this happen!!! Seeing my son so happy made me cry!!!"

DeVon Jackson Jr., 11, of Germantown, told Fox 6, "I went to Giannis' house. We walked in the door, and we looked down, and it was the whole basketball court there, and so yeah, they let us shoot around and play."

He continued, "When I got to play one-on-one against him. I missed the shot, you know. My only chance."

Pastor Lock arranged the day for the youth to show the boys the positive impact they could have on the city of Milwaukee.

"Just to show these young kids two Black men who, you know, come from similar backgrounds and sometimes even worse, and that we've both been able to use our stories to build something positive and to give back to others," Lock said. "One of the things Giannis talked to them about: Don't just focus on being an athlete; there are so many things you can be."

Lock said it was "amazing to hear an athlete tell them this isn't the end. You can be a doctor; you can be the president; you can be an attorney."