He was doing a great job himself.
Thanasis Antetokounmpo put his hand on the back of his head, probably tired of hearing questions about his brother and NBA superstar, Giannis.
But he still gamely answered questions from the members of the media after Greece dismantled Jordan, 91-72, in their 2023 FIBA World Cup match at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday.
“Big thing is we’re trying to cover the space, we’re trying to cover the loss of some players,” he said about the Greeks missing the services of his brother, who begged off from national team duties due to health reasons.
Thanasis himself did a decent job filling in that space, finishing with 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block in a little over 18 minutes of action.
He was also the hype man for his teammates on and off the court, to the delight of the sizeable Greek crowd in attendance.
But there’s no reason to celebrate just yet, with the Greeks set to take on Team USA on Monday at 8:40 p.m. at the same venue. Greece coach Dimitrios Itoudis said it best.
“Tougher one,” said Itoudis about facing the heavy favorites.
Still, the mindset doesn’t change for the Greeks, whose balanced attack keyed the victory.
“Just play hard and focus. We gotta focus and enjoy the game,” Antetokounmpo said.
The Greeks were focused and played hard on Saturday. They will need to play even harder and be more focused moving forward.
(MDB)