Thanasis Antetokounmpo makes Greece's final World Cup roster

Thanasis Antetokounmpo will face fellow Milwaukee Buck Bobby Portis Jr. in the World Cup.

Matthew Dugandzic | Aug 22, 2023

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Milwaukee Bucks

Milwaukee Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo will be the lone player from the squad on the Greek national team that will compete in the FIBA 2023 World Cup in the Philippines.

Antetokounmpo has made it to Greece’s 12-man lineup for the World Cup, which will begin on August 25th.

Aside from Antetokounmpo, also part of Greece’s lineup are Kostas Papanikolaou, Giannoulis Larentzakis, Ioannis Papapetrou, Georgios Papagiannis, Michalis Lountzis, Dinos Mitoglou, Nikos Rogkavopolous, Thomas Walkup, Lefters Bochoridis, Dimitris Moraitis, and Manos Chatzidakis.

Big blow for Greece

There were three Antetokounmpos when Greece announced its preliminary squad for the World Cup. Two Antetokounmpo brothers, Giannis and Kostas, eventually pulled out from the team due to various injuries.

Giannis was supposed to be the star of the team, but the Greek Freak decided to withdraw as he is still recovering from a procedure on his left knee to clean up loose cartilage. Greece will also be without heady playmaker Nick Calathes, but Giannis’ absence has the bigger impact.

Giannis’ absence will be heavily felt

Giannis was a consistent producer when he played for Greece in the 2014 and 2019 World Championships. The two-time NBA MVP has FIBA career averages of 19.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.6 assists.

Without Giannis, Greece’s bid to win the World Cup has clearly become tougher than it is bracketed with Team USA in Group C. Also in Group C are Jordan and New Zealand.

With Team USA and Greece belonging in the same group, Thanasis will be going up against fellow Milwaukee Buck as Bobby Portis Jr. is one of the key cogs of the American squad.

Published Aug 22, 2023

MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.