To say that Giannis Antetokounmpo is the center of the Greek men’s basketball team’s dream of winning a medal at the 2024 Olympics is an understatement.
Some might even consider the Greek Freak the only man who can handle the Herculean task of dragging the Greeks to the tournament’s knockout stages.
The opponents they faced in Group A of the tournament understood how tough of a defensive assignment Giannis would be against the teams they would face in Group A. However, it became clear that the squad lacked another solid player to help the Greek Freak cruise past Canada and Spain.
With only one game left for their run in the 2024 Games, it’s easy to think that everything is doomed for the Greeks’ basketball dreams, their star player appears to be taking things in stride.
Any competitive athlete would be stressed at the idea of not being able to compete for a gold medal when you know you can win games all on your own.
However, The Athletic’s Sam Amick noted that the forward didn’t look stressed after their rough 84-77 loss to Spain, as reported by ClutchPoints’ Jedd Pagaduan:
“[Antetokounmpo] responded ever-so-briefly to a greeting from yours truly by giving a thumbs-up, a nod and a hasty exit thereafter. Suffice it to say, Giannis was in a mood. And who could blame him?” Amick wrote.
Pagaduan also pointed out that while the Greeks are at the bottom of Group A, they still can make a push for the bracket if they meet a specific requirement:
Unlikely as it may be, Greece still has a shot at advancing to the next round of the competition if they turn around their point differential of -14 with a rousing victory against Australia and end up being one of the best third-place teams in the group stage.
Given how things are, their game against Australia may be Giannis Antetokounmpo’s last for the 2024 Olympics. However, fans can expect the Greek Freak to put on a show, regardless if there’s anything to play for or not.
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