The Bucks’ preseason games in Abu Dhabi gave the Antetokounmpo clan ideas. Why not organize an NBA game in Greece? The country has never hosted an NBA game on its soil before, but the opportunity seems more feasible than ever today, with the support of a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Like a Tony Parker, who came to France with his Spurs in 2003, the “Greek Freak” is now at his “prime” and he has thus asked Adam Silver for a similar favor.
“I know how important this is to Giannis personally. In fact, I saw her mother too and it is also important for her. So we’re going to try to make that happen.”, confirmed the NBA boss. “We know it’s not easy to move these pre-season games abroad but we also know how important it is not only for Giannis but also for all our amazing fans in Greece. So we continue to work on it”.
Preseason or regular season game?
The NBA is therefore studying the idea and has not yet decided between a regular season game, as the Bucks did while playing in Paris in January 2020, or a preseason game, with more time to stay put. and enjoy the stay. Whichever option is chosen, Giannis Antetokounmpo is obviously won over and he is already planning what a match on his land could look like, having to take care of everything for his family and loved ones on the sidelines of the match.
“I have already played in Greece, but not with an NBA team. I think if that happened, the match would be the least of my worries. The hall would be filled with 20,000 Greek fans chanting my name, but instead of it being a great experience for me, I would be hustling left and right doing a lot of things.” he confided. “I’ve been through this before and thought about it. If we had the chance to play in Athens, in Salonica, or in another city, in Crete perhaps, it would be a great experience”.
For Adam Silver as for Giannis Antetokounmpo, these matches abroad are essential to meet a new audience and conquer new markets. Even if Greece is already a great basketball country, the NBA’s image would only come out stronger.
“I’ve never played in China, Shanghai or Beijing. It would also be a pleasant experience”added Giannis Antetokounmpo. “Maybe also in India. The more you develop basketball, the more you make it global and go to places for the first time. I feel like a lot of people around the world love basketball, and we just need to get it out there. In this way, we will create even more fans”.
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 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 |
| Total | 656 | 33 | 53.5 | 28.8 | 71.8 | 1.7 | 7.7 | 9.4 | 4.6 | 3.0 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 21.8 | |
