As Greece prepared to begin its EuroBasket 2025 campaign, Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers made his presence felt in Cyprus this week. Eager to watch Giannis Antetokounmpo compete for his country, Rivers spoke openly about the experience and what he could take from it.
“It's great to see Giannis play obviously, and really just watch everybody play, and I'm in Cyprus, so it's all good,” he said, according to Basket News, and he planned to stay in town for several days to watch multiple games.
The Bucks coach admitted that part of his trip was about studying the game itself. Rivers explained how international systems often provide valuable concepts that he likes to bring back to the NBA.
“I love watching the movement and how they play. I always steal plays, I watch it, and I take some of these plays back home and I run them. Yeah, I love all the movement, all the elbow action,” Rivers said. His comments underscored how much he values the spacing and teamwork seen in tournaments like EuroBasket.
As for Giannis, Rivers noted that the forward is adjusting his game slightly to fit Greece’s system, while still keeping the core traits that make him so effective in Milwaukee.
That shift reflects a more deliberate role in international play, with Antetokounmpo turning to post touches instead of the high-usage, fast-paced style he often carries in the NBA. Focusing on Giannis’ role with Greece gave Rivers a fresh perspective on how his star adapts across different basketball styles.
Assistant coach Darvin Ham also praised Antetokounmpo’s work ethic with the national team. He pointed out Giannis’ routine of putting in extra work before and after practices, saying he expects him to have a strong tournament.
“Trying to play the right way, represent his country at the highest fashion, a hard worker constantly working,” Ham said, emphasizing that Greece’s system leans more toward team-oriented sets instead of relying heavily on one player, as is often the case in the NBA.
Milwaukee Bucks GM Jon Horst, head coach Doc Rivers and assistant coach Darvin Ham are here in Limassol, Cyprus, to watch Giannis Antetokounmpo in his EuroBasket 2025 opener. pic.twitter.com/3bqvyKfPVl
— Harris Stavrou (@harris_stavrou) August 28, 2025
Beyond Rivers’ analysis, the Bucks ensured their full support was visible in Cyprus. General manager Jon Horst joined Rivers and Ham for Greece’s opener against Italy, sending an organizational message. The Bucks’ presence at EuroBasket was seen as another way to reaffirm Giannis’ central role as Milwaukee continues to build around him heading into the 2025-26 season.
