Giannis Antetokounmpo was introduced to the Miami Heat at a press conference at the Kaseya Center in July.
Alie Skowronski
Giannis Antetokounmpo is already partying like a local.
On Wednesday night, the Miami Heat’s newest star hit up celebrity hotspot Gekko in Brickell for a dinner to officially mark his arrival.
The player’s dining companions included his wife, Mariah Riddlesprigger, as well as hospitality guru David Grutman, who owns the Japanese steakhouse with Bad Bunny. Also seen in Antetokounmpo’s entourage was teammate Tim Hardaway Jr., whose NBA legend dad who also played for the Heat.
We were told the group enjoyed a healthy mix of the eatery’s signature, upscale Asian eats, like the $85, 16-ounce ribeye with tare, a sake-infused soy sauce. Beverages were mocktails made with IM-8, a supplement brand owned by David Beckham and Hong Kong entrepreneur Danny Yeung, who was on site.
Dessert? An eight-tiered “Welcome to Miami” cake bedecked with basketballs and pictures of the so-called Greek Freak.
Grutman and Yeung, who are of average height for guys, posed with the 6-foot-11 athlete for an Instagram pic next to the cake.
After the meal, Antetokounmpo didn’t have far to travel to get to his bed. Earlier this month, a company linked to the power forward bought a newly built mansion on Chapman Field Drive in Pinecrest for $13.5 million.
Miami Herald
Celebrity/real time news reporter Madeleine Marr has been with The Miami Herald since 2003. She has covered such features as travel, fashion and food. In 2007, she helped launch the newspaper’s daily People Page, attending red carpet events, awards ceremonies and press junkets; interviewing some of the biggest names in show business; and hosting her own online show. She is originally from New York City.