Giannis Antetokounmpo will fund an indoor basketball court in an area near Athens devastated by wildfires that destroyed more than 1,000 homes

The construction of an indoor basketball court in a fire-ravaged neighborhood outside of Athens, where at least 100 people were killed last year, will be financed by Greek NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

 The mayor of the Rafina neighborhood, where the fire happened in July of last year, announced on Monday that the Milwaukee Bucks forward has offered the local government the opportunity to construct a court at a new recycling park that is being built in the neighborhood.  Vangelis Bournous, the mayor, stated that the venue would be finished by the end of this summer but did not provide any information regarding the cost of construction.

More than a thousand homes were destroyed by the fire, which also devastated adjacent coastal villages and the beach town of Mati, east of Athens.

 At a campaign rally on Sunday before local elections, Bournous declared, "I'm announcing this for the first time: Antetokounmpo, the well-known Giannis Antetokounmpo, has made a donation at the site to build an indoor court."

"To be ready by the end of the summer, it will be constructed using a steel building frame and a modern method."

 The Bucks, led by Antetokounmpo, are ahead of the Toronto Raptors 2-1 in the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs.  He was just announced as one of three NBA MVP finalists. 

Antetokounmpo is currently in the second season of a $100 million, four-year contract. He is anticipated to rank among the highest-paid players in the NBA when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2021. 

Born and raised in Athens, the forward, who is the son of Nigerian immigrants, immigrated to the US in 2013 to play for the Bucks. In his own country, he has a sizable fan base that stays up late to watch his matches.

Antetokounmpo has strong ties to Greece and has participated in initiatives to support recycling, Greek tourism, and a Greek airline.  Living in Athens, his older brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo plays for Panathinaikos, a Greek team led by Rick Pitino, a former member of the Boston Celtics and Louisville Cardinals.