
NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has officially committed to representing Greece in the upcoming EuroBasket 2025 tournament, set to tip off on August 27. The two-time NBA MVP will spearhead the Greek national team’s campaign, with group stage games in Cyprus and Riga, Latvia, and the knockout rounds culminating in Riga.
Head coach Vassilis Spanoulis announced his initial 19-player roster for the team’s preparations, with Antetokounmpo’s inclusion being the highlight.
Greece to prepare for EuroBasket 2025 with Antetokounmpo
The “Greek Freak” had previously expressed his desire to participate and will now lead a squad that also features key players like Kostas Sloukas, Kostas Papanikolaou, and naturalized player Tyler Dorsey.
Notably absent from this year’s roster are veterans such as Nikos Rogavopoulos, Giorgos Papagiannis, Nick Calathes, Thomas Walkup, and Ioannis Papapetrou, who recently retired from basketball. However, the squad will introduce fresh talent with the inclusion of promising youth players Neoklis Avdalas, Alexandros Samotourov, and Lefteris Liotopoulos, who impressed with the Youth National Team.
EuroBasket 2025 will run from August 27 to September 14, with group stage matches also taking place in Tampere, Finland. Antetokounmpo’s first game is scheduled for August 28 against Italy.
After a recent NBA offseason marked by speculation about his future with the Milwaukee Bucks, Antetokounmpo will now shift his focus to international competition, aiming to lead Greece to a EuroBasket title against other European basketball luminaries like Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic.
A homecoming dream for Giannis Antetokounmpo: Filathlitikos and Athens
Earlier in July, Antetokounmpo shared his dream of returning to Athens and playing once again for the basketball team where his illustrious career took off as a teenager.
Together with his brothers, he shared personal experiences and insights on overcoming adversity at a heartfelt event—held under the auspices of the Charles Antetokounmpo Family Foundation—at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, a private international philanthropic organization in the Athens metropolitan area.
During the discussion, Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke not only about his basketball career but also his long-term vision, expressing a strong desire to return to his roots in Athens.
Giannis, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar, emphasized his deep connection to Athens, stating, “I can’t wait when every season ends to return to my home. I feel comfortable here. When I retire, I plan to stay here. Always in Athens. Athens is my home.”
Perhaps the most resonant part of his talk was his aspiration to rejoin his brothers at Filathlitikos, the Athens club where he first played as a teenager. “We can go back and play for Filathlitikos, one or two seasons, promote it to the first division,” Giannis declared, envisioning a future in which he could contribute directly to the club that shaped his early career.