Giannis Antetokounmpo Set to Play for Greece in Quest for Olympic Qualification

The Milwaukee Bucks’ run through the NBA playoffs this fell far short of what the team had hoped for, thanks in large part to the absence of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo suffered a calf strain in April, and missed the end of the regular season and the Bucks’ first-round postseason series against the Indiana Pacers, which they lost in six games.

But while Antetokounmpo missed out on the chance to play high-stakes basketball in May, it looks like he will get the chance to do so in July. According to Vasilis Spanoulis, head coach of the Greek national team, Antetokounmpo is set to play in a qualifying tournament for the Summer Olympics in early July.

The Greek national team has not played in the Olympics since the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, China, when Spanoulis was still playing for the team rather than coaching it, and Antetokounmpo was just 14 years old. In that tournament, Greece went 3-2 in group play to reach the knockout bracket, where they lost a nail-biter against Argentina, 80–78.

While it’s exciting that Antetokounmpo will attempt to push his compatriots to the Olympics, securing their invite will be a tall task. Just one team will qualify for the Olympics in the upcoming tournament, and the path to Paris will likely in this case involve getting past Luka Dončić and the Slovenian national team. Croatia, Eqypt, New Zealand, and the Dominican Republic are all also set to compete for a spot in the Olympics.

While Dončić presents a tough challenge, it’s still unclear whether or not he will play for Slovenia given the Dallas Mavericks’ current run to the NBA Finals. Should the series go seven games, the Finals won’t end until June 23, leaving Dončić with little time to recover and get ready to compete for his national team.

Heading into the tournament, Greece and Slovenia are in opposing groups. If each team is able to take care of business and win their group in the opening round, basketball fans could be treated to a matchup between Antetokounmpo and Dončić with a spot in the Olympics on the line.

Plenty of NBA Stars Are Set to Play in Paris This Summer

There’s no shortage of star-power at the Olympics.

Regardless of whether Antetokounmpo or Dončić or neither make it out of their upcoming qualifying tournament, there will be plenty of great basketball at the coming Olympics.

Team USA is once again stacked, with LeBron James and company back for another ride and big man Joel Embiid making his Olympics debut.

Host nation France will bring a compelling team as well, with centers Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama headlining a roster that could very well contend for gold in front of their home crowd.

The Summer Olympics begin on July 23 with the Opening Ceremony in Paris, France. Whether or not Antetokounmpo and Greece will be in attendance will come down to how they play in their qualifying tournament.

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