Giannis Antetokounmpo is heading to the Olympics for the very first time, after he scored 23 points and Greece held back Croatia 80-69 on Sunday. The video game was among the 4 guys’s basketball certifying competition finals being held to figure out the staying areas in the 12-team field for the Paris Games.
“The finest professional athletes on the planet contend in the Olympic Games,” Antetokounmpo stated. “We have absolutely nothing to lose … I truly think we have an unbelievable group and we can achieve something unique.”
Georgios Papagiannis scored 19 points for Greece, who likewise got 14 from Nick Calathes and made an Olympic berth for the very first time because 2008.
“It’s extremely good to certify since that’s the initial step,” Papagiannis stated. “At the Olympics, we’re wanting to do something truly great there.”
Greece will remain in Group A for the Paris Games, with opening-stage video games versus Australia, Canada and Spain– who likewise certified on Sunday by beating the Bahamas.
The safeguarding champs USA, along with France, Germany, Japan, Serbia, South Sudan, Canada and Australia had actually currently certified. France certified as the host country; the other 7 groups on the list certified based upon their surfaces at the World Cup last summer season.
After the World Cup, 24 groups were delegated contend for the last 4 slots. They were chosen in the winner-take-all qualifiers that began recently. Brazil got the very first of those areas on Sunday, before Greece and Spain followed. The last area in the 12-team Olympic field will be chosen later on Sunday when Lithuania check outs Puerto Rico.
On Saturday, Antetokounmpo had actually met another seasonal NBA All-Star, Luka Dončić, in the semi-finals. Antetokounmpo and Greece beat Dončić’s Slovenia 96-68.
“They played way much better than us. They were way more aggressive,” Dončić stated. “I believe they have a fantastic group. Clearly, they have Giannis. Other pieces are extremely essential for them, too. And they’re extremely well-coached … They beat us today.”