Giannis ends Greek Olympic wait; Gilas tormentor Brazil also in
PIRAEUS, GREECE—Giannis Antetokounmpo steered Greece to an Olympic berth on Sunday as he overcame a slow start to score 23 points in an 80-69 qualifying tournament victory over Croatia in Piraeus.
“It’s incredible. I don’t think the scenario could have been better. Being in your house, with people that support you. It’s an incredible feeling,” Antetokounmpo said. “Since I was a kid I always wanted to play the Olympic Games.”
The game was one of four finals on Sunday to determine the last qualifiers for the Paris men’s basketball tournament.
In Riga, Brazil, beat host Latvia, 94-69. In Valencia, Spain, edged the Bahamas 86-78.
The Brazilians ended the hopes of the Philippines of qualifying for Paris with a rallying semifinal victory.
In the Olympic tournament in Lille, Greece, and Spain will play in Group A with Australia and Canada. Brazil will line up in Group B with France, Germany and Japan.
“I don’t want to get ahead and be talking about medals,” Antetokounmpo said at the press conference. “The last time we went to the Olympic Games was 2008. One step at a time.”
The final place in the Olympics went to qualifier hosts Puerto Rico, who upset visiting Lithuania, 79-68, in San Juan.
Puerto Rico advanced into Olympic Group C with the United States, South Sudan and Serbia.
Before the qualifying tournament started, Antetokounmpo had not played competitively since injuring a calf on April 9 playing for the Milwaukee Bucks.
He returned for the tournament opener in Piraeus on July 2 and, even though he was rested for Greece’s second game, ended up collecting the tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
On Sunday, Croatia, with 7-foot-1 Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac at the heart of their defense, packed the paint to deny Antetokounmpo. Croatia led by as many as four points in the first quarter.
As Antetokounmpo began to penetrate and Greece went 12-of-32 on three-point attempts, the hosts took control. Antetokounmpo finished as the top scorer and also grabbed eight rebounds to ensure his first Olympic appearance.
Caboclo MVP
In Riga, Brazil, hit eight out of eight three-point attempts as they took a 34-11 lead at the end of the first quarter and then cruised to victory.
Forwards Leo Meindl and Bruno Caboclo each scored 21 points.
Caboclo, who plays for Red Star in Serbia, was voted tournament MVP.
“I’m so excited, I’m so happy. These are the best plans I could imagine,” he said looking ahead to the Games.
In Valencia, Spain, took the lead for the first time against Bahamas midway through the second quarter and nursed their advantage the rest of the way.
Guard Lorenzo Brown top scored for Spain with 19. He was matched by NBA guard Buddy Hield for Bahamas.
At Puerto Rico, New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado scored 23 points and grabbed six rebounds while guard Tremont Waters, who played 45 NBA games from 2019-2022, added 18 points to spark the hosts to victory.
