Official – Giannis out of the World Cup: “Great disappointment, but the medical fee leaves no room”

Definitely without him Giannis Antetokounmpo the national basketball team will compete in World Cup (25/8-10/9). The Bucks superstar after cleaning his knee in June did not have the required time to fully rehabilitate and strengthen the Greek team. Despite his efforts, the Bucks’ medical team gave him a red light and he followed that decision to avoid jeopardizing his career.

The EEC briefing states: “The news was not what was desired from the final medical opinion on Giannis Antetokounmpo, who will not be able to strengthen the Men’s National Team’s effort at the World Cup. Giannis followed an intensive individual recovery program in the previous period with the aim of getting ahead of the event, but the latest tests showed that he will not be in a state of competitive readiness in time».

In his statement, he expresses his disappointment at this development, while assuring that he wants to compete with the National team at the Olympic Games.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s statement:

Everyone knows my passion and love for the National Team. After the NBA season ended, I was constantly pushing my body to its limits in order to be in the condition I wanted to be in for the Worlds. Unfortunately, after months of work and many discussions with the medical team, it is now clear that I have not recovered to the point where I can compete at the Worlds. This was clearly not my choice and now I have to continue working to get back to the level I have been competing at all these years. The disappointment is huge because the decision of the medical staff leaves me no choice. If I kept pushing myself to go back, I would be putting myself and my health at risk. My personal goal, as well as that of our National team, is to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games and it will be a huge honor for me to represent my country in its games.

Check out this Instagram post.

This post was shared by Giannis Ugo Antetokounmpo (@giannis_an34)