Giannis Antetokounmpo is set to play at the EuroBasket 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 it being a dream come true for the family.
via Eurohoops:
“It’s a dream come true. 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. Our 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 finish 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 himself said that a medal 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 as he can be simply unstoppable, but despite all the praise that has come his way over the last year or so, Giannis 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 Giannis, who has always been very humble. Whether he sees himself that way or not, 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.
