Olympics Qualifier: Greece’s Failure Makes Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Dream A Gruelling Task

Representing their nation at a stage as big as the Olympics is a lifelong dream for many athletes. And with this year’s Paris Olympics less than two months away, there are many from the NBA entering their names in the ballot to participate in the prestigious event. While Team USA is set to send their best men forward after the humiliation from last year’s FIBA World Cup, a previously injured Giannis Antetokounmpo also seems ready to lead Greece to the Olympics through a longer route, hoping to bring glory to his nation.

As per the latest report by Forbes Sports’ Evan Sidery, Giannis has been confirmed to play for Greece in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament starting next month on July 2. Dealing with a calf strain, he was forced to sit out the last nine games of this NBA season, including the entire first-round series against Indiana. By the time he gets to the tournament, Giannis would have had a 2-month rest, giving him time to recover completely. The Greek Freak had this dream to play in the Olympics for quite a while.

Back in March, he told the world about his intentions, “I would love to play in the Olympics.” While at the time he was completely focused on the ongoing season, there was a thought in his mind of helping his nation qualify for the Olympics and book a ticket to Paris. “Hopefully, we will be the last team standing. And after that, try to qualify for Paris.” And while the Bucks were far from the last team standing, it gave Giannis a chance to get some rest and focus on his next goal.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s tough road to the Paris Olympics

In the qualifying tournament that Giannis has been confirmed to participate in, he will have to compete against twenty-three other nations with only four spots left in the Paris Olympics. Slotted in Group B along with Egypt and Dominican Republic, Greece will have to finish Top 2 to move on to the next round. Then, they will enter the knockout stage to eventually get a chance to book a spot in the twelve-team tournament in Paris.

Had Giannis played for his nation in last year’s World Cup, Greece might not have had to go through such a long route to get to the Olympics. With him declaring his ineligibility after the tiring NBA season and a pending knee cleanup, Greece failed to reach the quarterfinal round of the tournament in Manila, hence missing their spot in the Olympics.

So, last year’s failure has come back to haunt the nation in the form of a highly competitive qualifying tournament. But Giannis will have some added motivation to help him through this challenge. That’s because, despite his ever-popular career, he has never played in the Olympics. Just like every other superstar (Stephen Curry in the same bracket), he would love to check that box in his resume.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow in what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.