In Berlin, the Euroleague Final Four offered itself a choice cast with Scottie Pippen, Bill Murray, but also Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dennis Schroder. It's not the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival, but it allows us to shine more of the spotlight on the biggest event in European basketball. Coming to Germany to support his brother Kostas, who plays for Panathinaikos, Giannis was won over by the atmosphere.
“Considering where I started, I feel privileged to be in the NBA, on a team where I want to give my best, but I envy the atmosphere of these games” confides the Bucks power forward. “I wish that was the case in the NBA. I traveled from Greece today on a plane with 150 fans who left their jobs and families to support their team. I would like to play for those kinds of fans.”
A return “à la Marc Gasol”?
Maybe in a few years, Giannis will imitate Pau Gasol or Marco Belinelli, and he will return to the country to wear the colors of a Greek club. But which one? Listening to him, he could see himself imitating Marc Gasol to return to the club where he started to help it reach the heights.
“I want to play as many years as possible in the NBA” he warns. “I don't know if I would play for Olympiakos or Panathinaikos… I will play for Filathlitikos, my old team, and maybe I will lead them to the first division. Olympiakos and Panathinaikos didn't want me when I was 18, so why go there at 38? Of course, I can buy a team if it is for sale, but I don't think the owners, Mr. Giannakopoulos or Mr. Aggelopoulos, are interested in selling.
For the record, the Euroleague final will pit, on Sunday evening, the Pana from Mathias Lessort to Real Madrid by Vincent Poirier, Guerschon Yabusele and Fabien Causeur.
