Greece will have to do without their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo at the Basketball World Cup, which will be held in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan. The Milwaukee Bucks top player from the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced on Friday that he did not feel ready for the World Cup. He made the decision together with his medical advisor.
Reuters/USA Today Sports/Jim Rassol
Antetokounmpo, 28, had surgery on his left knee in the summer. In the past NBA season, he had already missed eleven games due to pain in his left knee. “Everyone knows that my passion and love for my national team has never changed and never will,” Antetokounmpo wrote on social media on Friday.
But he pushed his body to the limit “to be the player I need to be so that our team can achieve the goals we have set.” He is currently unable to reach the level he wants, “which I need to take part in the World Cup”.
Greece will face USA, Jordan and New Zealand in the group stage of the World Cup which starts on August 25th. The Greek selection initially denies all games in the Philippine capital Manila.