In the space of a week, Giannis Antetokounmpo will have gone through a lot of emotions in France.
First, he had the privilege of being the flag bearer for the Greek delegation at the opening ceremony. Then, he experienced two frustrating defeats with his country against Canada and Spain. Finally, he experienced his first victory at the Olympic Games with the Greece against Australia.
Eager to ” not to leave the tournament without a win ” And ” proud ” of the way his team fought, Giannis Antetokounmpo took advantage of the end of the group stage in Lille to address the media and share his feelings about his first experience at the Olympics.
” It's different » book the Bucks star, awaiting a possible qualification for the quarter-finals. Everyone plays for a club and you can be the best player in your club. I'm not saying it's easy to play for a club, but it's easier than playing for your country. Once you're here, you have to put that aside. Everything you know, you put it aside [en sélection] and we do things for a common goal: to win at all costs. It's not about winning the way you want. Here we represent our history, ten million Greeks. It's completely different. »
A waking dream on the Seine…
But Giannis Antetokounmpo especially returned in detail to this famous opening ceremony on the Seine, which gave him an unforgettable memory.
” It was amazing ” he admits. ” The energy was extremely high, there were thousands of athletes in the Olympic Village… But once we were in the boat and we raised the flag, we were off. Then I tried to enjoy the moment. It was one of my biggest dreams. The day I was asked if I would be the flag bearer, my first answer was that I wanted it to be my captain. [Kostas Papanikolaou] who does it, because he has more selections than me and it seemed fairer to me. »
Then Giannis Antetokounmpo revealed the response of the Greek decision-makers, with some emotion: ” They told me they wanted it to be me because I represent everything that sports represent, with the way I carry myself on the field… I know my dad was watching from Heaven and he danced. He literally danced for it. I might win another title, but I’ll never be the flag bearer again. So I tried to enjoy those 45 minutes as much as I could. It was raining, which made it even more dramatic, and I saw my mom. She was always on her phone, filming me… It was an amazing experience, I’ll never forget it.. »
Photo credit: FIBA.com
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2013-14 | MIL | 77 | 25 | 41.4 | 34.7 | 68.3 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 6.8 |
| 2014-15 | MIL | 81 | 31 | 49.1 | 15.9 | 74.1 | 1.2 | 5.5 | 6.7 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 12.7 |
| 2015-16 | MIL | 80 | 35 | 50.6 | 25.7 | 72.4 | 1.4 | 6.2 | 7.7 | 4.3 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 16.9 |
| 2016-17 | MIL | 80 | 36 | 52.1 | 27.2 | 77.0 | 1.8 | 7.0 | 8.8 | 5.4 | 3.1 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 22.9 |
| 2017-18 | MIL | 75 | 37 | 52.9 | 30.7 | 76.0 | 2.1 | 8.0 | 10.0 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 26.9 |
| 2018-19 ★ | MIL | 72 | 33 | 57.8 | 25.6 | 72.9 | 2.2 | 10.3 | 12.5 | 5.9 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 1.5 | 27.7 |
| 2019-20 ★ | MIL | 63 | 30 | 55.3 | 30.4 | 63.3 | 2.2 | 11.4 | 13.6 | 5.6 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 29.5 |
| 2020-21 | MIL | 61 | 33 | 56.9 | 30.3 | 68.5 | 1.6 | 9.4 | 11.0 | 5.9 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 1.2 | 28.2 |
| 2021-22 | MIL | 67 | 33 | 55.3 | 29.3 | 72.2 | 2.0 | 9.6 | 11.6 | 5.8 | 3.2 | 1.1 | 3.3 | 1.4 | 29.9 |
| 2022-23 | MIL | 63 | 32 | 55.3 | 27.5 | 64.5 | 2.2 | 9.6 | 11.8 | 5.7 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 3.9 | 0.8 | 31.1 |
| 2023-24 | MIL | 73 | 35 | 61.1 | 27.4 | 65.7 | 2.7 | 8.8 | 11.5 | 6.5 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 30.4 |
| Total | 792 | 33 | 54.5 | 28.6 | 70.2 | 1.8 | 7.9 | 9.8 | 4.9 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 23.4 | |
How to read the stats? GM = Games Played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots Made / Shots Attempted; 3pts = 3-pointers / 3-pointers Attempted; LF = Free Throws Made / Free Throws Attempted; Off = Offensive Rebound; Def = Defensive Rebound; Tot = Total Rebounds; Pd = Assists; Fte: Personal Fouls; Int = Steals; Bp = Loose Balls; Ct: Blocks; Pts = Points.
