Greece's national team is waiting on the availability of the Antetokounmpo brothers'

Greece fans are on their heels,waiting to see if the Antetokounmpo brothers will join the national team for the WC.

© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

The Greek national men’s basketball squad has started their preparations for the upcoming FIBA World Cup in the Philippines, albeit without their biggest star Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brothers, Kostas and Thanasis. It remains unclear whether the Milwaukee Bucks ace and two-time NBA MVP will be able to suit up for the national team after he underwent a knee procedure immediately after his team’s season ended.

Giannis wants to help the squad

According to Greek national team head coach Dimitris Itoudis, Giannis’ commitment to helping the squad is without question. However, it all depends on how his knee feels and what the Bucks will say.

“We have the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, at least from the first call, because he has had an operation which will take time. We’ll obviously be watching his recovery with the Bucks, where he belongs, to see how he does,” said Itoudis.

Itoudis added that the participation of both Kostas and Thanasis will be made known in the next few days, as the former recently had an operation while the latter remains a free agent in the NBA and presumably would like to have more clarity on his future in the big league before committing to the national team.

Tough road ahead

Greece is in Group C along with powerhouse Team USA, Jordan, and New Zealand. Only the top two teams will advance to the next round of the competition. Before flying to Manila, Greece will have tune-up games against Slovenia, USA, and Germany. Obviously, Greece’s chances for success hinge on the availability of Giannis, who averaged 29.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in the Eurobasket tournament in 2022.