The Milwaukee Bucks' star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is participating in his home country of Greece's bid in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. In preparation for the international tournament in China this year, Antetokounmpo and the Greek national team are playing friendly matches.
Sunday saw Greece and Serbia, most notably featuring MVP candidate and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, face off in the Hellenic Republic.
Giannis was the beneficiary of an outlet pass and fast break, which led to one of the All-Star's patented euro-step and near-standing dunk over a puny opponent.
.@Giannis_An34 will not be denied! 😱🇬🇷#HellasGotGame #FIBAWC
📺 Watch live: https://t.co/ar02q01WvA (geo-restrictions may apply) pic.twitter.com/0RwlK5tznl
— FIBA Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWC) August 18, 2019
Antetokounmpo, the past season's Most Valuable Player award winner, joins his brother Thanasis, a former New York Knicks second-round pick and most recently a newly signed Buck, on Team Greece. However, the youngest Anteto-bro, Kostas, who was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Lakers in the offseason, was reportedly cut from the team and will not have the ability to compete for gold with his brethren.
Giannis will likely be the best player on the court at all times in the World Cup, but he will probably have tougher competition like from Team USA, which headlined the summer in the lead-up to the tournament with a score of All-Star and big-name drop-outs.
The other day third-year Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox left the American squad in spite of his head-turning performance in training camp. The United States' senior team also reportedly lost to a mostly G League members team last week, to their embarrassment. Team USA, though, claims the loss came immediately after a two-hour practice and scrimmages.
Should Antetokounmpo lead Greece to a gold medal in September, it may rival his MVP performance last season, and it's apparently a personal goal of his above any individual achievement.
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