Giannis Antetokounmpo’s chances of competing in the FIBA World Cup remote

Giannis A

ntetokounmpo's chances of competing in the FIBA World Cup remote  

The coach of the Greek national basketball team has provided an update on Giannis Antetokounmpo's status in the lead-up to the FIBA World Cup, and it's not one which will fill fans with a whole lot of confidence about the likelihood of the two-time NBA MVP playing at the event.

Following the NBA season, in which the Milwaukee Bucks were surprisingly knocked out in the First Round of the playoffs by the NBA Finals-bound Miami Heat, the man affectionately known as the Greek Freak underwent a knee procedure. He's been a noticeable absentee from his national team's training sessions as he rehabs from that, and when prompted about his prospects of joining them, Greek coach Dimitris Itoudis was tight-lipped.

Talking about Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brother Kostas, Itoudis said: “They are still not practicing with the team, and we don’t have something more to say right now.”

Clearly, Giannis' status with the Greek team will have an enormous say on their prospects at the FIBA World Cup. At the FIBA Eurobasket tournament in 2022, which was the last time he represented Greece, Antetokounmpo averaged 29.3 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. With the Bucks' superstar leading the charge they won all five games in their Group Stage and beat the Czech Republic in the Round of 16, before going down by 11 points to Germany in the quarterfinals.

With Giannis in the side, Greece will have high hopes about their ability to advance out of the Group Stage and potentially beyond. Their group consists of the USA, Jordan, and New Zealand, so the second place may still be on the cards without him, but their prospects thereafter will be significantly diminished.

While Giannis' status remains uncertain, one thing is for sure; for both Greek fans and basketball fans moreover, the 2023 FIBA World Cup will be a better tournament with him in it.