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CNN anchor shares son’s memorable Christmas Day experience with Giannis Antetokounmpo

A Greek Freak fan had an unbelievable Christmas Day experience with Giannis.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
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An act of kindness by Giannis Antetokounmpo gave a mother and son a Christmas to remember.

In an episode of Laura Coates Live on Tuesday, CNN anchor Coates shared how the Milwaukee Bucks superstar made their Christmas Day game experience at Madison Square Garden memorable.

The American attorney revealed that her son is a staunch Antetokounmpo fan. So, on Christmas Day, Coates brought her son to the Knicks-Bucks game at Madison.

The mother and son had floor seats right behind the scorers' table, which allowed the boy to exchange high fives with some players as they were about to check into the game.

Clad in an Antetokounmpo jersey, the boy even managed to touch one of the players' towels, and Coates thought her son would "float away" with excitement.

"Now, for the teenager in me, who wore the number 3 in honor of John Starks, it was a dream come true to just be inside of The Garden," Coates said. "And as mommy, I couldn't take my eyes off my son watching the game, 'twinning' in a matching jersey with his favorite player. For me, that was enough. Hell, it was more than enough because who am I to be on the floor of a Knicks game?"

The best part of the experience happened after the game

Although the Bucks lost the contest, 122-129, Giannis was still gracious enough to accommodate Coates' son.

Excitement reached a fever pitch when Antetokounmpo waved the mother and son onto the court.

"He took off his game shoes, he signed them, and he handed them to my son. And he even wished him a merry Christmas. And you can see my son. He's grabbing his head, trying to even process his moment," said Coates

After handing over his signed shoes to the kid, Antetokounmpo spent more time with Coates' son by posing for a photo opportunity with the boy.

It was such an unbelievable moment for the boy, as later that night, he asked his mom to see the photos to make sure that what had happened early in the day was not a dream.

The experience will surely leave a lasting memory, and Coates' son now knows that the athlete he idolizes is a fierce competitor with a soft heart.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.