Giannis Antetokounmpo's fiancée Mariah discusses the hardship of being the girlfriend of the Nigerian-Greek NBA star

Since joining the Milwaukee Bucks in 2013, Giannis Antetokounmpo has not only become a basketball sensation but has also rooted his family in the city.

 Milwaukee has become more than just a workplace for the NBA star; it's a place the Antetokounmpo family calls "home." 

With three young children, the family has woven itself into the fabric of the community, creating a unique bond with the city that goes beyond the basketball court.

While Giannis Antetokounmpo's career has flourished in Milwaukee, his fiancée, Mariah Riddlesprigger, faced the challenge of defining her own identity. 

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Riddlesprigger, 31, opened up about the personal struggles she endured as the partner of an NBA superstar.

"For the longest time, I struggled personally. What do I want to do?

 "It's hard to find your own identity sometimes because your life is so much them, your significant other, and what they do."

Last year, the NBA star's family launched the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation (CAFF), "a social impact organization" that aims to "unlock the potential inside every person—no matter where they start out or what difficulties they face."

Riddlesprigger revealed that when she was preparing for the birth of her first son that it really opened her eyes to the community's needs, especially considering the cost of diapers. 

"We didn't realize how expensive diapers are until we were like, 'Whoa, diapers are expensive,' " she said.

In 2021, the pair held their first BIG Give Back diaper and fund drive in Milwaukee, aptly titled Maverick's Diaper Mission. And Riddlesprigger believes it was "a no-brainer" for CAFF to join her for this year's campaign.

Riddlesprigger and Antetokounmpo, with the help of the CAFF, gave over 30,000 diapers to 195 families in under two hours last month. In addition, the event raised $188,000 for Milwaukee families.

Finding meaning in Milwaukee through community outreach is "really exciting," adds Riddlesprigger. "Now, I'm able to focus so much time on being a mum but also something I'm passionate about." That's quite thrilling. That is something I enjoy."

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and his longtime girlfriend Mariah Riddlesprigger are currently engaged.

After announcing the sex of their third baby in September 2023, the couple subtly revealed that they are engaged.

“Soon [I’m going] to be married to this beautiful woman next to me," he said after referring to Riddlespringer as his fiancée.

Riddlesprigger was born in Fresno, California on September 17, 1992.

She is a year older than Giannis Antetokounmpo. The couple and their children often go on vacation to Greece during the NBA offseason. 

In February 2020, his girlfriend, Mariah Riddlesperger, gave birth to their first son, Liam.

 She gave birth to a second son, Maverick, in August 2021, and announced a third pregnancy in May 2023.