Three Antetokounmpo brothers in Greece squad for 2019 Fiba World Cup
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 24: (L-R) Kostas Antetokounmpo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, and Alexis Antetokounmpo attend the 2019 NBA Awards presented by Kia on TNT at Barker Hangar on June 24, 2019 in Santa Monica, California. Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Turner Sports/AFP
The NBA’s MVP for the 2018-19 season Giannis Antetokounmpo was named in the Greece squad for the 2019 World Cup in China on Tuesday along with two of his four brothers.
The 24-year-old Milwaukee Bucks forward will be joined by 26-year-old Thanasis who plays for Greek side Panathinaikos, and 21-year-old Dallas Mavericks’ power forward Kostas who makes the 18-man squad for the first time.
“We finally decided to have Kostas Antetokounmpo on the team,” said coach Thanasis Skourtopoulos.
“He is a young player whose development we expect a lot from. We felt that we would only start to see the benefits by gradually introducing him into contact with the national team.”
The oldest of the five brothers, Francis, is a professional footballer but there is a possibility that three will become four in the future with the youngest brother Alexis already turning heads in high school in Milwaukee and tipped by Giannis to be the best of the lot.
Giannis, born in Greece to Nigerian parents, first represented Greece in July 2013 at under-21 level, the same year he signed for the Bucks.
A year later he debuted for the senior Greek national team, leading them to ninth in the 2014 World Cup.
The World Cup will take place in China from August 31 to September 15.
Greece will play in Group F against Brazil, New Zealand and Montenegro and must finish in the top two to advance to a second round group that will contain the top two sides from a first-round quartet of the USA, Turkey, Japan and the Czech Republic.
The top two sides from that second round group will progress to the quarter-finals.
