Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to action after 78 days playing with Greece in a friendly game in Athens against Bahamas, as the Greek team prepares for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Piraeus, set to bring Greece to the Olympic Games.
Greece comfortably won the game 102-75, with Antetokounmpo recording 14 points behind 5/6 field goals. The Freak added five rebounds, one assist, and one steal over 14 minutes.
In his return to action following the premature ending to his 2023-24 campaign with the Milwaukee Bucks with a left calf strain, Antetokounmpo impressed the Greek crowd and raised expectations of what the national team could do in the Olympic Games, if it qualifies.
Konstantinos Mitoglou banked in a game-high 18 points for the team coached by Vassilis Spanoulis. Nick Calathes chipped in seven points and 11 assists. Thomas Walkup piled up six points, nine assists, four rebounds, and three steals.
Giannis Antetokounmpo to lead Greece for the Olympics
The 2024 FIBA men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTs), set to run from July 2-7 in Greece, Latvia, Puerto Rico and Spain, will determine the four teams that will complete the men’s field for the Games this summer. Each OQT has six teams divided into two groups of three.
The FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments include the 16 best-placed non-qualified teams from the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the three highest-ranked countries per region in the FIBA World Ranking.
Hosting Greece takes on the Dominican Republic on July 3 and Egypt on July 4 in the Peace and Friendship Stadium, SEF.
Ranking first or second in Group B of the preliminary stage would advance the team guided by Spanoulis to a single-elimination game against Croatia, Slovenia, or New Zealand in the Semifinals.
Reaching the Final earns an opportunity to clinch one Olympic Games berth available across the six countries.
Antetokounmpo’s Accolades Ahead of the Olympics
In January Antetokounmpo became the third player in NBA history to average 32-plus points, 13-plus rebounds, and 7-plus assists on 55 percent field goals in a 10-game span within a single season. This places him among the ranks of Nikola Jokic and Wilt Chamberlain.
Antetokounmpo was averaging a career-high 31.6 points per game on 61 percent shooting. He also broke the franchise record for most points in a game last season when he scored 64 points against the Indiana Pacers. His 48 points against the Houston Rockets was the second consecutive 40-plus point game and the sixth time last season.
Antetokounmpo now equals Abdul-Jabbar’s record for the Bucks, but the legendary center went on to do it two more times with the Los Angeles Lakers, for a total of 20 games with 45-plus points scored.