Since July 2013, Milwaukee Bucks All-Star forward Giannis Antetokoumpo has represented his country in international competition over the years.
According to John Hobbs of Talkbasket.net, the 22-year-old has officially been declared the new captain of the Greek national basketball team:
Olympiacos veteran Vangelis Mantzaris has declared that Giannis Antetokounmpo is the new leader of the Greek national team following the international retirement of Vassilis Spanoulis.
“We ain’t going to lie: Giannis (Antetokounmpo) is the star and leader of this team,” Mantzaris said in an interview for Greek newspaper GAVROS.
“He’s an All-Star caliber player, the first Greek who has ever done that. He made us all proud and I wish he continues doing so.
“We’d be fools not to rely on him and his talent. The point is to be able and create these circumstances and situations for Giannis to let his talent unfold on the court.”
Antetokounmpo has participated in several events up to this point with Greece that includes 2013 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, EuroBasket 2015, and the 2016 Turin FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament. He has done more than pay his dues to earn this prestigious role with his home country.
He has quickly developed into a rising star in the NBA coming off a breakout year that earned his first All-Star Game Selection, the NBA Most Improved award, and an All-NBA Second Team nod.
Antetokounmpo averaged career highs across the board with 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game. He also became only the fifth player in league history to lead his team in each of those five categories while being the first to place in the top 20 in each of those respective categories in a single season.
This could be the start of a transformative period for the Greek national team with Antetokounmpo now leading the way in international competition.
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