Just four days after announcing the formation of their parent company Ante Inc., NBA superstar and Milwaukee Bucks player Giannis Antetokounmpo announced Tuesday he and his family are now stakeholders in the Canadian company Candy Funhouse.
Antetokounmpo and his family, through their new equity partnership, will play a significant role in the ongoing expansion of the online candy company. This deal follows Candy Funhouse launching its U.S. website.
“I wanted to always be a kid. I love eating candy. I love what you guys (Candy Funhouse) are doing here. Just being family-oriented people that work really hard to grow a company. I kind of relate to that,” said Antetokounmpo in a video announcement posted to Candy Funhouse’s website.
He added he’s excited for what the future holds and mentioned the possibility of opening a candy store in Milwaukee, as well as the possibility of launching his own candy line. As for his personal favorites, Antetokounmpo shared his affinity for gummy bears and Oreos.
In a separate video posted to his personal YouTube channel, Antetokounmpo shared how he and Candy Funhouse originally connected during the pandemic. As an NBA player, he’s no stranger to receiving packages from fans and sponsors. One day, a certain box with a vibrant, colorful design caught his eye.
“I thought it was like a Nike box, but no, it was a Candy Funhouse box. It had a bunch of candy and it was the middle of the pandemic so we were in the house, not doing anything,” said Antetokounmpo. “We were in quarantine watching a bunch of Netflix. Man, it was one of the best moments of the pandemic for me. It filled me up with so much joy.”
The box he received included candy he’d never seen before, from countries like Japan and France. He decided he wanted to share the joy he experienced through that package with the rest of the world.
“It doesn’t matter how old you are,” said Antetokounmpo. “Candy brings joy. This is such an exciting thing to do off the court.”
Having amassed a global following, Giannis and his brothers, Thanasis, Kostas and Alex (all professional basketball players), will reach a global audience, with a key focus on media and content creation.
“We are extremely excited and honored to have Giannis and the Antetokounmpo family, owners of Ante Inc., join the Candy Funhouse team as owners and collaborators,” said Jamal Hejazi, chief executive officer of Candy Funhouse. “At Candy Funhouse we strive to spread joy through memorable experiences, and with his example of hard work, and dedication to spread positivity, Giannis embodies exactly what the Candy Funhouse brand stands for. Which is why we could not be more thrilled to have the Antetokounmpo’s represent our brand.”
