Disney+ is expanding its original line of programming with a bio-pic about NBA star Giannis Antetokoumpo. The NBA’s Most Valuable Player of 2019 will be getting the film treatment as his life is the subject of a new movie that looks at the ups and downs of the sports superstar, as reported by Deadline.

Giannis Antetokoumpo’s Life Is Not Disney’s First Foray Into True Sports Stories

In the last few years, Disney’s become known for its amazing original animated movies and live-action adaptations of their own classic animated movies. So it may be hard for fans to remember that Disney brought to life a lot of true sports stories back in the day.

While they all had varying degrees of success (not to mention failure), some of Disney’s sports movies were incredibly memorable. And they also featured great performances by actors we don’t currently associate with the Disney brand.

Movies like Remember The Titans, Miracle, and Invincible were all Disney sports movies with A-list actors in the lead roles. The movies are, to this day, seen as enjoyable entertainers.

Image via Disney

Why The Giannis Antetokoumpo Story Will Make For Good Storytelling

Most of the sports movies by Disney have been about overcoming some sort of adversity. So with that in mind, it makes sense why Giannis Antetokoumpo’s life is going to be a movie by Disney, for their new streaming service.

Giannis Antetokoumpo was born to Nigerian parents, in Athens, Greece. However, despite being born in the country, he couldn’t be a citizen. So for years of his life, Antentokoumpo was basically stateless; with no citizenship from either Nigeria or Greece.

Dealing with identity and diversity make for the best stories. So the true story of a young boy dealing with identity issues than that of his parents while in another country, but being from neither, must have been difficult. It will be interesting to see how those issues will come off in the Disney movie.

The Career Of NBA Star Giannis Antetokoumpo Is The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of

In his childhood, Giannis Antetokoumpo had to support his family through hawking merchandise on the streets of Greece. But his rise to fame and a better life happened when he began to play basketball.

From there on, Antetokoumpo played in smaller Greece leagues, eventually drafted by the NBA team the Milwaukee Bucks. Antetokoumpo’s rise to fame within the League has been amazing. He led his team in all statistics and was recently named NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2019.

Image via Disney

His story is one of of a boy growing up in a nation that didn’t see him as their own, with identity not of that of his parents, struggling financially, was able to make it to one of the world’s largest sports industries, and excel. So of course it’s going to be the feel-good inspirational story of the year.

No word yet on when the movie about Antetokoumpo’s life will premiere on Disney+.

Will you be tuning in to watch the story of NBA Star Giannis Antetokoumpo on Disney+? Let us know in the comments below.

Featured Image via Keith Allison.