By Giannis Rammas/ irammas@eurohoops.net
The tip-off of the “Antetokounbros Event 2017” was programmed for 19:00 but the appointment took place much earlier since every single person, from fans to players, proved to be not only punctuate… but impatient!
The doors opened at 17:00 and the crowd began filling OAKA Arena faster than a time-lapse video. The free-passes had been disappeared almost in the blink of an eye and more than 15.000 fans started to take their seats and prepare themselves for the grand spectacle ahead.
After all, the presence of Giannis & Thanasis Antetokounmpo along with the rest of Antetokounbros company was reason enough to create a massive “flood” of fans in the arena.
The result? Simply exhilarating!
The fans had the unique chance of seeing an NBA All-Star, such as Giannis, right in front of their eyes and absolutely savored each and every moment of it. But he wasn’t the only one delivering a superb show on the floor.
His teammates, including Thanasis Antetokounmpo of Andorra, EuroLeague star and three-time champion Kyle Hines plus Georgian international Giorgi Shermadini (2013 EuroLeague champion and currently Thanasis’ teammate in Spain) rewarded each and everyone present in the hall.
Here’s the thing though. Their opponents were up for.. vengeance! The veterans of the Greek National Team of 2005 & 2006 (the last national team outfit to beat team USA), led by Thodoris Papaloukas, Dimitris Diamantidis, Michalis Kakiouzis, Kostas Tsartsaris, Lazaros Papadopoulos and Nikos Chatzivrettas accompanied by EuroLeague stars Giorgos Printezis and Giannis Bourousis (also a member of the 2005 Greek NT) won the game 92 – 91 taking revenge for their loss during the Thessaloniki Antetokounbros event.
The final score and result held little importance of course. At the end of the day, what truly mattered was the message sent by the people that stepped on the floor of OAKA and the thousands of fans that cheered for them from the stands: #WeAreAllBros
Scorers:
Antetokounbros Team: T. Antetokounmpo 23 p., G. Antetokounmpo 23 p., Shermadini 12 p., Hines 10 p., K. Antetokounmpo 8 p., Panagiotidis 3 p.Garbis 2 p. Gkikas, Trikaliotis, Kamperidis, Kotsopoulos.
Greek NT veterans: Papadopoulos 22 p., Printezis 21 p., Chatzivrettas 12 p., Tsartsaris 11 p., Papaloukas 10 p., Diamantidis 8 p., Ntikoudis 8 p., Kakiouzis 4 p., Bourousis.
