Giannis Antetokounmpo drew different reactions for getting emotional after Greece captured the bronze medal at the recent FIBA EuroBasket. Some were glad to see Antetokounmpo happy, while others thought he was overreacting when he said that it was the greatest accomplishment of his life.
According to the Milwaukee Bucks superstar, those who thought negatively were U.S. fans.
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“You saw how I reacted at the end,”said Antetokounmpo. “You would say I did a three-peat with the Chicago Bulls. For many, my reaction was excessive. Not for people here from Greece, but for people in America. They couldn’t understand.”
“I wanted to achieve something with the National Team, and it is something I was missing. What bothers me is that you cannot tell someone what is important for them and what isn’t. For me, winning MVP may be important, but winning something with the National Team is more important. Sorry, but it is,” he added.
First time Giannis had led Greece to a medal finish
The Americans have the No. 1-ranked team in the FIBA world rankings, so anything short of first place is unacceptable, and a bronze medal finish is already a disappointment. The same cannot be said for other countries, like Greece, which last stood at the EuroBasket podium in 2009.
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Antetokounmpo has represented his country since 2016, hoping to change that. But with many heartbreaking losses and disappointments, his greatness was not enough to win a medal before this year’s tournament. And so, after scoring 30 points and pulling down 17 rebounds in a 92-89 win over Finland in the recent third-place game, Giannis became emotional.
“We did it. This is one of the biggest accomplishments I’ve ever had as an athlete,” he said in the postgame interview. “I know I’ve won an NBA championship, but there’s no feeling like representing your national team, representing 12 million people that breathed and lived this national team. So, this is probably the greatest accomplishment I’ve ever accomplished so far in my life.”
Not everything that glitters is gold
Bogdan Bogdanovic was one of the first to congratulate Giannis and his team on winning the bronze medal. And while some thought Antetokounmpo’s reaction was exaggerated, the Los Angeles Clippers shooting guard said there’s nothing wrong with it because in a prestigious tournament like the EuroBasket, finishing third is already like winning it all.
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“Sometimes it shines like gold,” Bogdanovic wrote on X. “Congrats to our orthodox brothers. Respect.”
Bogdanovic played only two games in the 2025 EuroBasket before suffering a hamstring muscle tear. Serbia still had the duo of Nikola Jokic and Nikola Jovic leading the way in his absence, but they fell to Finland in the Round of 16.
Serbia is the No. 3-ranked team in the FIBA world rankings, yet they only finished 10th in the tournament. This says a lot about the level of competition, and it speaks to why Antetokounpo and Greece’s bronze glitters like gold.
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The cherry on top for Giannis is that he also finished in the tournament’s All-Star Five alongside Dennis Schroder, Luka Doncic, Franz Wagner and Alperen Sengun. He averaged 27.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game, shooting 68.5 percent from the floor throughout the tournament.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 24, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.