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Giannis Antetokounmpo explains why FIBA games are harder for him than the NBA
Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the most dominant forces the NBA has ever seen, as his mix of size, athleticism, and strength presents a mismatch for any opponent. That's why the Milwaukee Bucks superstar has been dominating the league for years, winning everything you can think of. But one stage the 'Greek Freak' has not conquered yet is the FIBA stage.
Different game
Giannis has been on the record for saying the international FIBA game is way different and harder than the NBA game. It's not about the quality of players, but more about the systems and different rules being emphasized. Serge Ibaka asked Giannis to explain why he feels that way on his show 'How Hungry Are You?':
"The game itself is harder than the NBA game. For sure. For you to average 10 points in Europe, you can like get it. In NBA you can average 8-10 points from free throws, etc.....And it's longer games. A little bit easier than the NBA," Giannis explained to Serge.
Giannis isn't the first international superstar to say something along these lines, as Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic also expressed numerous times just how easier it is to score in the NBA game.
Trying to get Greece on top
Giannis loves to hoop and he rarely misses an opportunity to represent his home country Greece in international competitions despite all the wear and tear of the long NBA season. However, Greece is yet to win a medal with him in charge, let alone win it all.
Antetokounmpo has already played in two FIBA World Cups (2014,2019) and two Euro Baskets (2015,2022), but Greece got eliminated in the early phases of the knockout stages in all of those. Giannis was just a role player for the first two appearances, but in 2019 he came as the leader, following his MVP season. But Giannis and his jump shot troubles really hurt him, as the forward didn't have his best showing, averaging 14.8 ppg and 8.8 rpg in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
Just a few months ago, Giannis tried to lead the Greeks to Euro glory, but they got bounced out in the quarterfinals against the hosts Germany. This time around, Antetokounmpo had a much better tournament, averaging 29.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg, and 4.7 apg. But it wasn't enough to finally get some silverware and add to his impressive NBA resume.
