Giannis Antetokounmpo wasted no time reminding everybody why he’s one of the dominant gamers on the planet, placing on a present in his 2025 EuroBasket debut as Greece rolled previous Kristaps Porzingis and Latvia.
Coming into Wednesday’s matchup, Latvia had been sitting at 2-2 of their warmup video games.
They’d overwhelmed Belgium and Montenegro, however dropped contests to Serbia and Israel. With Antetokounmpo lastly suiting up, the vitality shifted instantly.
The 2-time NBA MVP erupted for eight factors, three rebounds, and two blocks in simply his first 5 minutes on the ground, serving to Greece construct an early double-digit benefit. His fast begin set the tone for the evening and foreshadowed a dominant efficiency.
GIANNIS IS BACK 😤#EUROBASKET X @hellenicbf 🇬🇷 pic.twitter.com/JiERepZNi3
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) August 20, 2025
By halftime, the 2021 NBA Finals MVP had piled up 20 factors, eight rebounds, and two blocks, overwhelming Latvia along with his trademark mixture of energy and finesse.
He finally completed with 25 factors and 10 rebounds in solely 21 minutes as Greece cruised to a 104-86 victory.
The win pushed Greece’s exhibition document to 3-2 with simply two tune-up video games remaining earlier than the group stage suggestions off on August 28. First-year coach Vassilis Spanoulis will lead Antetokounmpo and veteran guard Kostas Sloukas into matchups with Italy and France earlier than official EuroBasket play begins.
From there, Greece faces a tricky Group C schedule with video games towards Italy, Cyprus, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and powerhouse Spain.
Spanoulis’ squad received’t be at full power, nonetheless. Defensive standout Thomas Walkup is out with a again damage, Giorgios Papagiannis is sidelined because of private causes, and sharpshooter Nikos Rogkavopoulos has opted to not take part regardless of being cleared to play.
Even with these absences, Antetokounmpo’s return makes Greece a critical medal menace. If his opening efficiency towards Latvia is any indication, the Greek Freak is able to chase the nation’s first EuroBasket gold in 20 years.
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