While the new NBA season is still weeks away, EuroBasket 2022 is giving all of us our basketball fix for the summer.
For Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, it has been another showcase of his amazing talent and skill set as one of the best players in the game.
On Sunday, the Greek Freak went viral after being caught in a jumping bear hug of Italy’s National team coach Gianmarco Pozzecco. After securing the hard-fought win over Serbia, he just couldn’t contain his excitement, and Giannis was visibly surprised.
“He was a basketball player, so I think he wants to play that kind of games more than us. He knows what it means… He is emotional, but we really love him,” Italian point guard Marco Spissu said. “We need to protect his emotions. Sometimes it’s impossible because he is behind the line,” Spissu smiled again. “But nothing really happened when he got ejected. I’m really proud of this team, and I can’t explain how happy I am.”
“Gianmarco is unbelievable because he got this connection with the players. They play for him,” the assistant coach Edoardo Casalone, who finished the game on the sidelines, spoke about Pozzecco. “Being on his side is something you can’t learn. You can’t be like him. He’s unbelievable,” he added.
COACH POZZECO HUGGING GIANNISpic.twitter.com/IrheQSZMoj
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) September 11, 2022
Giannis has nothing to do with that game. He was actually on his way to warm-ups with his own team before running into Pozzecco in the tunnel, which is what created this wholesome moment.
After today’s slate of games, the quarterfinals are set with matchups between Spain and Finland, Slovenia and Poland, and France and Italy.
Giannis Antetokounmpo Leads Greek National Team To Quarterfinals After 27-point Performance.
As for Giannis and his team, they are set to face Germany sometime tomorrow after grabbing a win against the Czech Republic. Antetokounmpo dropped 27 on the night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 23 out of his game-high 27 points in the second half while grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out five assists as Greece survived a tough Czech Republic team 94 – 88 to advance to the 2022 EuroBasket quarterfinals.
Antetokounmpo, who was coming from an ankle injury, also drained the dagger from beyond the arc for the 91 – 83 with 31 seconds to play. It was his second triple in the last minutes after also hitting one to make it 82 – 78 while going 0-4 before.
In case you weren’t sold about the state of basketball in Europe, you need to look no further than EuroBasket. This year, there seems to be a heightened level of excitement about the bracket, no doubt because of the number of big-name NBA superstars participating.
With a few more rounds still left to go, it will be interesting to see who comes out with the title and if Giannis can secure another championship to go along with his Larry O’Brien trophy.
