By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
It started with a tweet and continued with quotes after the Greek League game of Panathinaikos against Larisa. The Greens won 121-78 and coach Rick Pitino expressed his full support on Giannis Antetokounmpo, which he expects to coach in the Greek national team to the upcoming Olympic Games.
As Pitino said: “Anytime I see something negative for a Greek player, I have to step up and say something positive. I am not anti-Harden, I am not against anyone. I am pro-Giannis. And I hope that we will make it to the Olympic Games and coach him”.
Pitino has tweeted yesterday the following message, clearly supporting Giannis.
.@Giannis_An34 is passionate, hungry, and driven. All of Greece loves you. As an American I admire you so much. Kick ass big fella!
— Rick Pitino (@RealPitino) February 29, 2020
Giannis Antetokounmpo himself addressed the whole debate with James Harden saying in an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols that he wished he could be seven-feet tall and just dunk referring to the Greek Freak and implying that he is lacking skills.
Meanwhile, Pitino and Panathinaikos are dominating the Greek League with a 17-2 record.