On Monday, Giannis Antetokounmpo helped lead Greece to a bronze medal at EuroBasket. A 92-89 victory over Finland that was emotional to say the least with Giannis in tears following the win.
However, his triumph was marred by tragedy.
After Greece lost to Turkey in the semifinal, Giannis's wife, Mariah, received a vicious message on social media from a Turkish fan, per BasketNews.
In response, Mariah took to social media to call out the hate.
“People in this world are so disappointing! All over a basketball! I hope that those making hateful comments and sending disgusting messages to my family are proud of yourselves” she said.
“But since you want to reach out to me privately I will be sure to let the world know publically who you are! And to all Turkiye fans, congratulations on your medal, yall have an amazing team! However to your fans, there’s no place for this type of behavior in sports. Actually there’s no place for this type of behavior period!”
Later on, Giannis took to Instagram Live after winning the bronze medal to call out the death threat made to his wife.
“Take the f**king Turkey flag out” he said.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family are caught in the middle of heightened geopolitical tensions
Greece and Turkey have a longstanding history of friction that only started to begin repair in 2023. That year, both sides issued the Aegean Declaration after an massive earthquake hit Turkey.
Nevertheless, there are still unresolved tensions that exist between both sides. For instance, Turkey has not signed the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which governs ocean spaces and its resources.
It also grants Exclusive Economic Zone. Greece says it is entitled to EEZ. Whereas Turkey argues it would create a “Greek lake” and denies that islands cannot have full EEZ.
Additionally, issues surrounding militarization, minority rights, and migration continue to fuel tensions between Greece and Turkey.
