Giannis Antetokounmpo will play for Greece in FIBA EuroBasket. This is not a surprise — he had said that if he were healthy, he would play — but is now confirmed by the Greek national team.
Antetokounmpo is the reason Greece is a threat in the tournament, which begins on Aug. 27 and runs almost up to the start of NBA training camps. Antetokounmpo was the leading scorer at the Paris Olympics last summer, averaging 25.8 points along with 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists across four games (Greece made it out of group play in the tournament but was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Germany). Antetokounmpo also was the leading scorer at the 2022 EuroBasket averaging 29.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.7 assists a game.
While Antetokounmpo’s name was frequently mentioned in trade speculation all summer, he has said he would “probably” return to the Bucks next season, and most around the league expect that outcome.
Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic of Slovenia headline the NBA players participating in the European championships. Among the other NBA players expected to suit up are Alperen Sengun of Turkiye, Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr for France, Franz Wagner for Germany, Kristaps Porzingis for Latvia and Nikola Vukcevic for Montenegro.
Nikola Jokic’s status for Serbia remains unknown. While he is on the preliminary 19-man roster the nation had to submit, his plans for the tournament itself are undecided (at least publicly).
Victor Wembanyama is out for France, recovering from a blood clot issue in his shoulder, and Rudy Gobert will also not suit up for a French team that won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics a year ago.