Giannis Antetokounmpo wasted no time reminding everybody why he’s one of the crucial dominant gamers on this planet, placing on a present in his 2025 EuroBasket debut as Greece rolled previous Kristaps Porzingis and Latvia.
Coming into Wednesday’s matchup, Latvia have been sitting at 2-2 of their warmup video games.
They’d overwhelmed Belgium and Montenegro, however dropped contests to Serbia and Israel. With Antetokounmpo lastly suiting up, the power shifted instantly.
The 2-time NBA MVP erupted for eight factors, three rebounds, and two blocks in simply his first 5 minutes on the ground, serving to Greece construct an early double-digit benefit. His fast begin set the tone for the night time and foreshadowed a dominant efficiency.
GIANNIS IS BACK 😤#EUROBASKET X @hellenicbf 🇬🇷 pic.twitter.com/JiERepZNi3
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) August 20, 2025
By halftime, the 2021 NBA Finals MVP had piled up 20 factors, eight rebounds, and two blocks, overwhelming Latvia together with his trademark mixture of energy and finesse.
He ultimately completed with 25 factors and 10 rebounds in solely 21 minutes as Greece cruised to a 104-86 victory.
The win pushed Greece’s exhibition document to 3-2 with simply two tune-up video games remaining earlier than the group stage ideas off on August 28. First-year coach Vassilis Spanoulis will lead Antetokounmpo and veteran guard Kostas Sloukas into matchups with Italy and France earlier than official EuroBasket play begins.
From there, Greece faces a troublesome Group C schedule with video games in opposition to Italy, Cyprus, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and powerhouse Spain.
Spanoulis’ squad received’t be at full energy, nonetheless. Defensive standout Thomas Walkup is out with a again harm, Giorgios Papagiannis is sidelined as a result of private causes, and sharpshooter Nikos Rogkavopoulos has opted to not take part regardless of being cleared to play.
Even with these absences, Antetokounmpo’s return makes Greece a severe medal risk. If his opening efficiency in opposition to Latvia is any indication, the Greek Freak is able to chase the nation’s first EuroBasket gold in 20 years.
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