Greece upended Finland to snag the bronze medal in the 2025 EuroBasket tournament behind Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 30-point, 17-rebound double-double. The victory ended a 15-year medal drought at the tournament, making it a momentous moment for the Greeks.
While Antetokounmpo wore his heart on his sleeve, calling the bronze medal one of the most significant accomplishments in his basketball career, his head coach, Vassilis Spanoulis, decided to go another way.
Advertisement
During a press conference, Spanoulis went on a two-minute rant about comments made by Turkey’s Alperen Şengün after their finals-clinching win against Greece. The Turkish star said Giannis was “not a great passer,” a comment many, including Antetokounmpo and Spanoulis, may have misconstrued as disrespect.
The coach defended Giannis, albeit a little too aggressively, as he attacked Şengün and diminished his status as a legit basketball star.
“Şengün is a very, very small kid to talk about Giannis,” he said.
Advertisement
He also debunked claims that Turkey clamped down on Giannis, who was held to a mere 12 points by Ercan Osmani during the semifinals.
“Second, we hear a lot of, let’s say, different ideas from people who don’t have an idea about basketball — that Turkish team lock Giannis,” he continued.”This is bulls**t. You know, we were not having a good day.”
Şengün’s comments were taken the wrong way
After the semifinal, Şengün talked to reporters and criticized Giannis’s passing.
Advertisement
For many, his comments seemed like a low blow, but in reality, it can be argued that they were nothing more than a mere observation of Giannis’s game by Şengün, who is a talented passer and has wowed fans with his creative assists. It’s just that the players and coaches from Greece didn’t appreciate how Şengün’s words landed, with Giannis himself responding to him.
The Greek Freak averaged 4.0 assists throughout the tournament, tallying five against Turkey during the semifinal. Nevertheless, Spanoulis wanted to let his feelings be known, expressing his disdain over “stories like this.”
“When I hear all these stories, you know, it gets me mad because this is not the truth, it’s not fair. We make an unbelievable tournament. We put ourselves in this situation. We played a bad game in the semifinal,” the coach said.
Advertisement
Giannis has a warning should Spanoulis leave post
Spanoulis became Greece’s head coach in 2023, and this is his first medal as head tactician. As a player, Spanoulis boasts an impressive resume that includes a EuroBasket gold medal in 2005 and a FIBA World Cup silver in 2006. He has numerous honors and recognitions in pro leagues, such as the EuroLeague and Greek Basketball League. And it’s clear that Antetokounmpo holds Spanoulis in high regard.
Svetislav Pešić recently resigned as Serbia’s national team head coach. Should Spanoulis follow in his footsteps, Antetokounmpo said he would leave the Greek national team altogether.
Advertisement
“If coach Spanoulis is not here, I’m not here. As long as he’s here, I’m here, as simple as that,” he said. “He brings the best out of me. He brings the best out of the team. He has a winning mentality.”
Spanoulis expressed the exact sentiment of respect for the Milwaukee Bucks star. He said he is looking forward to building a deeper relationship with him that he hopes will “last a lifetime.”
“Personally, I’m very blessed that I have this relationship with Giannis. For me, it’s not a medal, it’s a relationship that we build for a lifetime,” he said. “It’s an honor for me to have this relationship with him. It’s a big honor for me to be his teammate before years and now his coach.”
Advertisement
Greece made history, and Spanoulis is one of the main reasons why. He led the team from the sidelines and defended his star player just as any coach would.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 15, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.