Antetokounbos: “I could close my career in Greece – maybe at Olympiacos or Panathinaikos …”!

Would you imagine Giannis Antetokounbos with the Panathinaikos or Olympiacos jersey? However, he would “see” himself as a “green” or “red” player.

“Yes, why not? No, I don’t want to live in America (he means after the end of his career). I could definitely close my career in a Greek team. If this is the sportsman, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Mars … we say all the teams now … here I started, here I want to finish“, He told 2night show of Ant1.

For when he intends he replied ‘I am 30 now, until 36, 38 … “, and if he is thinking of becoming a coach, he said,” Yes. Training is something very different. There are players who are very good but cannot read the game to become coaches”

“Coach Vasilis can read the game, motivate, inspire his teammates. Chose to become a coach“, Stressed about Spanoulis.

In detail what he said:

About the fact that he rarely gives interviews: “They understand what a child I am, I try when I have free time to spend it with my children, in the summer I play with the national”

For the fact that it is circulated without security: “I have no security with me. I start now and think about it, my wife tells me. Many times I ask me to respect me, some understand it, some may be misunderstood. It has the bad, it has the nice thing. Yesterday, people have come and hug me, you can’t buy it. One lady told me I’m so grateful, he said to me “I can give you a hug”. I don’t want my wife and my children to feel that they don’t have a moment of calm with me, but that is great”

For his faith in the Bucks: “I owe them everything to the Bucks, I have changed my life and my family, I have spilled sweat and blood. We won a championship after 50 years. I brought the cup to Milwaukee, I always set goals. 2-3 weeks ago the medal was, I did. In the match against Turkey it was a bad day, it was a better team than us, if we played better we wouldn’t lose 25 points. It is worth it that they came out, we had us for 9-10s, it is great what we did/ I still want a ring in the NBA. I can’t know what will happen in the future, right now I live in now. With Milwaukee I want to win a league, you never know in life. God, family, national, basketball, Milwaukee. So I put them”

For the racism he experienced: “There were times when I was a little upset with someone’s behavior, I give them as much, I talk as much as I can about the country and a man told me “you can’t concentrate on 1% of people who have a problem with you.” And I try to concentrate on this piece, I don’t like everyone, they certainly don’t rejoice for my success, but there is so many people who are happy and standing on it”

For the treatment of fans of other groups in the US: “I am dear in the US, I am a 2.10 beast, I don’t think anyone will come on the road (laughs). When I was in Greece I didn’t eat right. In the US there is a great organization, your team provides everything. I think the amounts are larger and this helps you to have better physiotherapists, trainers, coaches, nutrition. There was so much difference in players, there was 5-10 years ago. Now Europeans can be the best in the world, basketball has changed”

For the fact that no manager has changed for so many years: “I really kept my manager, as you saw in Rise. He didn’t want to put his real name in the movie. George knew me, came in a game and saw me, I had a talent and I was a good teammate, he talked to me. On the first day he took me with my brother Costas and he gave us crepes. I had a little health problem me and my mother and helped us because I didn’t eat well, I was sleeping on the pitch. It helped me change my diet, took us with his wife shopping and brought them home. There was a moment in my life, he put me in the table and I can’t turn my back on this man. Be loyal”

For getting to know his wife, Maria: “I met my wife in Las Vegas, working on the NBA. He passed in front of me and I said I imagine her as my wife, reminded me of my mother, had an aura and positive energy. I talked to her, I am shy, I sent a friend of mine and threw a noodle in 2015 and after 2016 I tried again. I am a good kid, I told her we will be friends. After a year he sent me a message, we talked. My mother liked her, she came on a journey. My father liked her, asked me if she was a girlfriend or mother. Maria was the first girl I brought and married her. If my mother had said that I didn’t like it, they would have opened the door and I would say … please. Now no, it’s excluded, is the woman of my life, she has given me my children. If we have good God we can go for fifth. My wife does not speak Greek. It started in 2017 but it was difficult for her, her teacher had left and stopped. My children go to a Greek school.

If it wasn’t for Mariah I wouldn’t be who I was today. My mother and my father grew up very well, but with glory and money and reputation, you are a young child, you may be confused. I met her at the best moment of my life, she doesn’t like the spotlight, she likes to be together as a family and makes me fall in love with her even more”

On whether he will play in Greece again or is thinking of staying in the US: “I’m 30 now, up to 36, 38 I could play in the NBA. Surely I could close my career in a Greek team, why not? If this is the sportsman, Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, Mars … we say all the teams now … here I started, here I want to finish”

On whether he would become a coach: “You have to like training to follow this afterwards. They may have the gift of reading the game, there are players who are good basketball players but don’t read it. Spanoulis and Diamantidis is one of the best of all time, the latter may have had the gift but decided to stay with his family. And if I have been missing for 20 years, I have lost a birthday, important moments, I may be a good coach and decide that I don’t want to do it for it. Coach Vasilis was very good at basketball Coach Vasilis can read the game, motivate, inspire his teammates. Choose to become a coach. Papaloukas could also be done, he likes to talk a lot”

For the sports he sees: “I see a little football, I see football, basketball, tennis. I do no other sport, just what my children like. When they are in Ice Hockey I do with them“