NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points, leading the Greek national team to an 86-70 win against Spain in a friendly this morning at the indoor Athens Olympic Stadium, before 16,000.
In the 20 minutes he played, the Milwaukee Bucks star made seven of 10 free throws, 9 of 10 two-pointers and two of three three-pointers. He also had 10 rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Giannis.
— Gigantes del Basket (@GIGANTESbasket) August 9, 2022
Wow.
pic.twitter.com/dDB7ZmNBpS
Speaking to AFP with regards to the friendly and the upcoming EuroBasket championship, Greece’s head coach, Dimitris Itoudis said: “Giannis is a special case. He came very focused and with great appetite and great will.”
This morning’s game marks his 50th appearance with the Greek team and he gained his highest points performance ever with the Greek squad, topping his previous 26-point score.
Giannis played alongside his two brothers, with Kostas scoring seven points and Thanasis scoring three points. It was expected that the four brothers would be playing together, however youngest brother Alex was cut from the team last week.
Great to take the court again with my brothers 💪🏾🇬🇷🏀 pic.twitter.com/g6f7CnAi2T
— Giannis Antetokounmpo (@Giannis_An34) August 9, 2022
Greece will meet Spain again on Thursday in Madrid in preparation for their 2023 World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Belgium later this month.
On September 1, EuroBasket 2022 commences and Greece will compete in Group C alongside Estonia, Ukraine, Britain, Italy and Croatia.
