If today he is the undisputed boss of the Greek national team, Giannis Antetokounmpo was not immediately accepted by his teammates during his very first training camp with the national team in 2014. Very serious, the young Giannis, 19, did not smile at first and some took it for granted. rudeness and impertinence.
Including a veteran, who complained directly to the team coach Fotis Katsikaris. That’s what it says Dead Fader in his book ” Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP ».
“Tell the kid to change his attitude because I’m going to put one on him.” “says Fader.
At the time Antetokounmpo was coming out of his very first NBA season.
“He was drafted high, but we didn’t know if his game was going to stick, we didn’t know if he could help us. » Nick Calathes
“He was absolutely not ready to play, but he was a real diamond. Greece is a small country, and of course we have a big basketball culture. But we had never had a player like him. » Katsikaris
Stuck on the bench for the first match of preparation for the 2014 World Cup, he stayed several hours in the room after the match to shoot, accompanied by the assistant Asterios Kalavas.
“I have never seen anyone work so hard. If he could train all day, he would. » Kalivas
In 6 games, he averaged 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in the 2014 World Cup, and Greece went 5 games undefeated before being beaten by Serbia in the 1/8th. The adventure finally forged strong bonds between Giannis and his teammates.
When the team returned to Athens, it was with tears in his eyes that he set foot on the tarmac. A week later during an interview, he explains that he really understood the meaning of the word love by wearing this jersey, thanks to his teammate Nikos Zizis.
“A 19-year-old kid whose parents are not from Greece, and he really loves this country. He really understands. »
via basketnews.com
