As the official start of the NBA regular season is less than two weeks away (October 22), Giannis Antetokounmpo expressed his deep connection with the Greek national team.
In a video posted on the Milwaukee Bucks’ YouTube channel, the star forward spoke about his joy of winning a medal with the Greek team at the Euro 2025.
The Greek Freak said, “I don’t think people, if everybody had the opportunity to represent the country in something, they would understand the euphoria I’m feeling right now. I’m still in it. You know, just like when you go out, when you walk in the street and you see how happy people are, then you appreciate it even more.”
“So, I am very, very happy. I’m very excited, not just for myself, but for the entire country of Greece. And I think it’s just going to give us, like, a boost in our confidence.
“So it is definitely going to boost everybody’s confidence. So I’m excited for the next tournament in 27, 28, and 29. And I don’t think people understand what it is or how you feel when you represent your country.”
Giannis continued: “You know, when we were playing the game, there were millions of people who stopped everything they were doing. They didn’t go to work during our game, which is incredible, you know? So hopefully we can do it again for them.”
On whether he would have chosen to play for the national team over a career in the NBA, like Greek basketball legend Nick Galis did, Antetokounmpo said it would be a difficult choice. “Yeah, it’s a difficult choice. I’m not going to lie. Because at the end of the day, I got to, I got to take care of my family, you know, play for the, you know, obviously the national team is the best honor that you can ask for and it’s the best feeling. But I didn’t think they were like, we don’t get paid like people to understand this.”
