Giannis Antetokounmpo has won it all in the NBA, and he now has some silverware on the international stage as well. Antetokounmpo led Greece to the bronze medal at EuroBasket 2025 with a 92-89 win over Finland in the third-place game on Sunday.
Afterward, in his press conference, Antetokounmpo was asked how different it felt to win this medal with Greece, compared to winning an NBA championship and MVP.
“Well, okay, winning the MVP, okay, my mum is happy, my brother is happy, okay, my agent might be happy,” Antetokounmpo said. “It is what it is. But when you win the medal, 12–13 million people are happy. I have never gave that feeling before.
“I think the most feeling I’ve gave is I’ve allowed a lot of Greek people to open the TV and watch basketball again, and cheer for something, look forward for something,” Antetokounmpo stated. “But now we’re able to give a lot of people happiness. I was walking through there, and people were crying. I was crying, they were crying too.
“I know there’s a lot of people back home that are so happy for us, and they gonna be waiting for us in the airport, or I don’t know [where],” Antetokounmpo continued. “But they’re extremely excited for us and happy for us. And as I said, you inspire 12 million people that anything is possible if you’re concentrated, and you believe you can accomplish, and if you speak it into existence, you can accomplish it.
“There is going to be a lot of kids who look at this game that will say, ‘One day, we can be at that stage to win a gold medal,'” Antetokounmpo added. “And I’ll be very, very happy. Maybe then I’ll be an assistant coach with Coach Billy, or … if I’m tired of basketball, I’ll be in the sideline … cheering for the next generation.”
Winning an NBA championship in 2021 and two MVPs in 2019 and 2020 with the Milwaukee Bucks meant a lot to Antetokounmpo. The Bucks had drafted him with the 15th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, and ending their 50-year championship drought would have felt ever so special.
Still, that can’t compare with the pride one feels when winning something for their country. Prior to this triumph, Greece last won a medal on the international basketball stage back in 2009. This was a momentous occasion.
Antetokounmpo put in a stellar performance against Finland, finishing with 30 points (9-11 FG), 17 rebounds, six assists, one steal, and two blocks. The 30-year-old was ineffective in the loss to Turkey in the semifinals but bounced back in style here.
In all, Antetokounmpo averaged 27.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in this edition. He unsurprisingly made the All-Star Five for the tournament, along with Dennis Schroder, Luka Doncic, Franz Wagner, and Alperen Sengun.
Turkey’s Sengun had spoken about Antetokounmpo not being a great passer after the semifinal, and that didn’t go down too well. He stated that he likes to let his game do the talking, and it will be interesting to see what happens when these two face off next season.
