Giannis Antetokounmpo is set to play at the EuroBasket for Greece for the first time since 2015, and this time around, he has his brothers with him on the team, as well.
Giannis, Thanasis, Kostas, and Alex are all part of the national team training camp for the first time ever in what is a truly special experience for all of them.
Giannis who missed the 2017 edition due to a knee injury in the lead-up to the tournament, spoke about this being a dream come true for the family.
The Eurobasket, being hosted by Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, and Georgia, gets underway on September 1st.
Greece has been drawn in Group C alongside Estonia, Ukraine, Britain, Italy, and Croatia.
Blessed to be able to do this together 💪🏾💪🏾 pic.twitter.com/2Wz1uqf7fO
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) August 5, 2022
Antetokounmpo: Medal for Greece at EuroBasket ‘not realistic’
“It’s a dream come true,” Antetokounmpo said of the prospect of playing for Greece at the EuroBasket. “We’ve been saying that one day we’ll achieve this. It makes us proud to guard each other in the practice of the national team proud.”
He added that the four brothers’ mother “can’t wait to come to the games. But when they enter the court, they are my teammates, not my brothers.”
While it would be a storybook ending for them to go all the way and win the gold together here, expectations aren’t that high for this current version of the team.
Giannis Antetokounmpo himself said that a medal for Greece at the EuroBasket isn’t realistic, a sentiment that was echoed by his coach, as well. Still, when you have a player like him on the team, there is always a chance of accomplishing something special.
Duncan Robinson admitted that there are times when he’s not sure what you’re supposed to do when facing Giannis Antetokounmpo, as he can be simply unstoppable, but despite all the praise that has come his way over the last year or so, Antetokounmpo isn’t letting that get to his head.
He recently stated that he is not the best player in the world, and that is typical of Antetokounmpo, who has always been very humble.
Regardless of whether or not he views himself as the best player internationally, there aren’t many in the world who terrorize opponents as he does on the court, and teams at the EuroBasket will be losing some sleep as they try to figure out a way to slow him down.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s celebrated Greek heritage
Nicknamed the Greek Freak, the 2021 NBA champion is among the most celebrated players, both in the US and internationally. His family’s compelling life story was turned into a Walt Disney Studios’ biographical sports-drama, called Rise.
The movie tracks the life of Antetokounmpo and his family from Nigeria to Greece and to superstardom. Antetokounmpo served as executive producer alongside Douglas S. Jones.
Antetokounmpo was born to Nigerian immigrants who had illegally immigrated to Athens in 1994. He grew up in the city but was not technically considered a Greek citizen until he turned eighteen.
He often speaks of his love for Greece, and, in June, visited Greece where he posed for a photograph holding his two sons during their visit to the Acropolis.
“Our annual Akropolis visit,” he captioned his father-and-sons photo on Instagram. His oldest son is now two years old while the youngest will celebrate his first birthday in August.
Antetokounmpo and his family reportedly spent their Greek holiday in the Peloponnese, where he has two Costa Navarino residences.
See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!
