An emotional Giannis Antetokounmpo was seen crying tears of joy after helping to lead Greece to the Olympic Games on Sunday.
The Milwaukee Bucks star and former NBA Most Valuable Player took a moment to himself on the bench and let his emotions overwhelm him after Greece knocked off Croatia 80-69 in one of the four men’s basketball qualifying tournament finals.
Giannis Antetokounmpo in tears after qualifying Greece for the Olympics (Basketball, Paris 2024)
As a result, Antetokounmpo is bound for the Olympics for the first time, after he dropped 23 points in the game that helped determine the final spots in the 12-team field for the Paris Games.
An emotional Giannis Antetokounmpo was seen crying tears of joy after helping to lead his nation to the Olympic Games on Sunday.
The Milwaukee Bucks star and former NBA Most Valuable Player took a moment to himself on the bench and let his emotions overwhelm him after Greece knocked off Croatia 80-69 in one of the four men’s basketball qualifying tournament finals.
As a result, Antetokounmpo is bound for the Olympics for the first time, after he dropped 23 points in the game that helped determine the final spots in the 12-team field for the Paris Games.
“The best athletes in the world compete in the Olympic Games,” Antetokounmpo said. “We have nothing to lose … I really believe we have an incredible team and we can accomplish something special.”
“The coaching staff for these last two weeks we have been together, I think everybody was extremely focused and ready to go. We knew we had the opportunity to do it in our house,” mentioned the Freak in the postgame press conference following the Final against Croatia on Sunday.
“We knew we had four finals to play. I think from the first game, no matter if we played a very good team or not so good, we were focusing on ourselves. I am so happy with how the games went, so far that we took our tickets to the Olympic Games.”
Antetokounmpo, 29, insisted on focusing on the team rather than the spotlight naturally aimed at him. “Me personally, I am very hungry but at the end of the day it does not matter,” he described the environment across the senior national team of Greece, “I think as a team, we are very hungry. The atmosphere is unbelievable.”
Bouncing back at the international level after recovering from a left calf strain and a premature ending to his 2023-24 campaign with the Milwaukee Bucks, he put up 22.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 1.0 steals per OQT game, leading Greece to the Olympics for the first time since 2008.
Playing under head coach Vassilis Spanoulis, Giannis seemed much more adjusted to the heavy demands surrounding an NBA superstar trying to lead his country to success.
“I do not think that if you can write this scenario, it could be better. Having my idol helping this team and leading us to victory, having my teammates that have been great guys,” he continued praising Spanoulis and his teammates, “For so many years, we want to something memorable. We were able to do it. Being in your house, your family here, people that support and love you, the fanbase, it is an incredible feeling.”
“I believe coach Spanoulis is a winner. You can not teach that. You are either a winner or not. When he talks to you, you have to respect it,” he added on the 41-year-old selector of Greece, a legendary player in his own right with three Turkish Airlines EuroLeague championships standing out in a long list of achievements.