By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t compete in any of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, however, he is expected to be part of the Greek national team next summer in China.
Asked on the matter while speaking on the Greek radio station “Fairplay FM”, the president of the Greek basketball federation George Vasilakopoulos didn’t confirm Antetokounmpo’s presence and attacked “the agents” in general for his situation: “I am not in a position to answer. I don’t want to say something that I am not certain that it will happen. Of course, we want him in China. I have already told you who are the traffickers of the world sports movement. And the matter of Antetokounmpo is a matter of agents. It’s a parasitic profession. And they put some of your colleagues (ed. note: journalists) to give lessons and they have a voice in the media. The matter of Antetokounmpo is complicated. I hope that he will understand that thanks to this country he is in the States and he became a protagonist”.
It’s not the first time that the Greek federation is accusing outside forces for Antetokoumpo’s absence. When Giannis missed Eurobasket 2017 due to his knee condition, the Greek federation attacked the Milwaukee Bucks with an official press release about “an organized and well-staged plan by the NBA franchise” to keep Antetokounmpo out of the national team.