Unlike USA basketball Stars, Giannis Antetokounmpo Shuns Paris Olympics Special Privileges for 30 Million People

A 6-point margin, that’s all it took to prolong Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Greece team’s stay in Paris for at least another day. With their 77-71 win over Australia, Antetokounmpo’s Olympic dream lives on. Of course, the point differential will indeed be the king now and for Greece to progress, they’ll need some help from somewhere else.

Giannis came to Paris to represent his nation, to represent 30 million Greeks, and for that, he preferred not to have any special privileges. “You have to win at all costs because we are representing a history here. We are representing 30 million Greeks,” said a pumped-up Giannis after the win against Australia.

Antetokounmpo has gleefully accepted the “hard” conditions at the Athletes Village in Lille.  No, it doesn’t imply that the facilities provided are not up to the mark. France is providing world-class treatment for world-class athletes, but for Giannis, privacy is something non-negotiable, which cannot be provided in the athletes’ village. But, unlike his American contemporaries, the Greek Freak has decided against the idea of staying away from the village despite his difficulties.

“Obviously, it’s hard for me to be around every basketball player, because we compete against one another, and then you see them in the cafeteria, you see them in the elevator, you see them outside in the athlete lounge area,” Giannis said in an nterview to The Athletic.

“But just the energy is different. From the moment that we went to the ceremony, with all the Greeks, all the Greek athletes, and my teammates and lifting up the flag, and seeing people come down in Paris to celebrate us and cheer for us, then going back and competing in the games, and seeing how you know the crowd was into it, and how people are really competing … it’s incredible,” the 29-year-old further added.

Now, why is Giannis’s situation any different from his fellow NBA stars of Team USA? In case you didn’t know, Team USA is not in Lille’s athletes’ village. USAB has made special arrangements for their players in exchange for a modest sum of $15 million.

Unlike Giannis Antetokounmpo, Team USA is living a privileged life in Paris

A major drawback of the athletes’ village is that the facility is strictly for the athletes only. That means having families around is a big no. Keeping that in mind, Team USA decided to ditch hospitality and provide for themselves. According to Forbes’ Justin Birnbaum, USAB is spending almost $15 million on travel, chartering, lodging, and transport.

However, despite living away from the village, the USA players are looking to soak in the Olympics in its true essence. “It’s been a long time that the basketball team hasn’t been able to stay in the village because they want ultimate privacy. So they’re always in a hotel somewhere, but they want as much as they can to get the Olympic experience. And we’re seeing guys on this team show up at all kinds of different Olympic events,” Marc Stein discussed on his This League Uncut podcast.

Team USA has already punched its ticket to the quarterfinals. But for Giannis and his Greek side, it will be a wait for almost another 24 hours before they learn of their fate. They need a massive helping hand from Serbia. If Serbia beats South Sudan by more than 3 points, then Greece will go to the next round as the 2nd best 3rd placed team.

To absorb more interesting stories, watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where the prodigy puts Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr under the pump with loaded NBA questions and more in this video below.