Milwaukee Bucks fans finally get to see Giannis Antetokounmpo play basketball. It has been months since they’ve seen the face of the franchise suit up and appear on the hardwood. However, he is currently doing it for the Greece team in Paris for the 2024 Olympics.
The last time Greece competed at the Olympic Games was in Beijing 2008, when Vassilis Spanoulis and Antonis Fotsis lost to Argentina in the quarter-finals, finishing fifth. It is possible that they may have placed on the podium in Beijing if Antetokounmpo had been there.
Obviously, Antetokounmpo was only 13 at that time. Nevertheless, his rise to NBA champion and two-time league MVP has already established him as the greatest Greek athlete of all time. During the EuroBasket 2022, he led the country’s scoring after Greece was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
In their matchup against the Dominican Republic, however, Giannis suffered an injury scare that had fans holding their breath.
Milwaukee Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Suffers Injury Scare With Greece
According to Bucks reporter Eric Nehm:
Scary moment there. Giannis Antetokounmpo had a teammate take a charge and land on his left leg. After taking a few extra seconds on his back, Antetokounmpo popped back up and kept playing.
Spin move to a finger roll and then a pretty pass on a fastbreak. He looks fine now.
Here is a video of the injury:
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s injury scare in the #FIBAOQT pic.twitter.com/0WD5xN8Apu
— alder almo (@alderalmo) July 3, 2024
From the looks of it Giannis walked it off and is back to full strength. Here are a few videos of him in action:
GIANNIS POSTER pic.twitter.com/ujRhk6C4yF
— DAME TIME BUCKS 🇮🇩 (@buckschampp) July 3, 2024
GIANNIS IS TOUGHHHH😤🔥🔥
pic.twitter.com/LNYWtm39Nr— ³⁴ (@GiannisWorld) July 3, 2024
Up top to Giannis!
(via @FIBA) pic.twitter.com/lvYz3xPIzn
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) July 3, 2024
An OQT warm-up game against the Bahamas (another team competing in an OQT in Spain) on 27 June showcased multiple aspects of Antetokounmpo’s game.
In 15 minutes of action, the 29-year-old scored 14 points while his teammates converted 12 of 26 three-point attempts (46.2%). Greece and Antetokoumpo have a good chance of confirming their pre-OQT label as tournament favorites and qualifying for Paris if they repeat this performance throughout the week.
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