When it comes to otherworldly feats, few NBA players can match the record of the Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo. But when it comes to team accomplishments, it’s hard to stack up with USA Basketball, whose men’s team hasn’t lost a game since the 2006 FIBA World Championships.
It was that loss, in the semifinals to Greece, that marked the nadir of the program; having come up with just a bronze in the 2004 Olympics, Coach K was placed in charge of the program, and the 2006 team featured names like Carmelo, LeBron, Wade, and Bosh, names that, along with Kobe Bryant, would be fixtures on the team as it once again rose to literal world domination.
Giannis thinks the time is near for a team to take down the Americans, perhaps as soon as 2019’s FIBA World Cup. Giannis also thinks Greece is the team to do it, which would serve as a nice bookend for the decade-plus USA streak:
Giannis Antetokounmpo is dreaming big. He wants to beat the United States wearing Greek team colors.
”I’ll be the next one to beat them. I’ll be waiting for them somewhere,” the Milwaukee Bucks star said before leading a team in an exhibition game involving Greek and foreign players before 15,000 fans at the Athens Olympic Arena on Sunday.
That’s a lofty goal, but when your arms are as long as Giannis’s, it might not be possible for your reach to exceed your grasp.
[The Score]
