Panagiotis Giannakis on Antetokounmpo: “He is the best player in the world”

Panagiotis Giannakis is the only Greek who won the Eurobasket as a player and as a coach, and he has given special praise to Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Giannakis won Eurobasket in 1987 in Athens as a basketball player and in 2005 in Belgrade as a coach of Greece. Panagiotis Giannakis is in Milan for the national team’s Eurobasket matches and spoke to Gazzetta about this year’s competition, Antetokounmpo and Greece’s goal.

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“We have to gain cohesion, be focused on the goal and the players all work together and enjoy it,” said Giannakis, ahead of the start of the tournament.

Talking about Antetokounmpo and whether his presence is enough to guarantee success: “He is the best player in the world and it is a privilege to have him in your team.”

“But the most important thing is the whole. We need to be coherent,” he said. “I think that qualification to the next round is a given and these five matches are the best preparation for the knockout matches, where Greece must be ready.”

“In the years that I was an athlete, I have felt a lot of adrenaline, I have shared the floor with great players. No one can beat time. Basketball gave me a lot both as an athlete and as a person,” he said about his own experience as a professional.