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Giannis Antetokounmpo finally won a medal for Greece in international competitions after outlasting Finland on Sunday to win bronze at the 2025 EuroBasket. Antetokounmpo received a heartfelt message from Serbia's Bogdan Bogdanovic, who knows a thing or two about winning medals.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Bogdanovic congratulated "The Greek Freak" and Greece for their bronze finish at the EuroBasket. Greece defeated Finland 92-89 in a nail-biting game in Riga, Latvia.
It was Antetokounmpo's first honor with the national team, and Greece's first medal since taking home bronze in the 2009 EuroBasket.
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In terms of medals, Bogdan Bogdanovic has won plenty of medals with Serbia since 2014. Bogdanovic has a silver from the 2017 EuroBasket, two silvers from the World Cup in 2014 and 2023, and one silver and one bronze in the Summer Olympics.
While Serbia hasn't won gold, the country has celebrated the achievements of the national team. They got a hero's welcome last year after winning a bronze medal in the Paris Olympics.
On the other hand, Giannis Antetokounmpo waited 11 years for his first medal for Greece. Antetokounmpo's best finish before the 2025 EuroBasket was a couple of fifth-place results in the 2015 and 2022 EuroBaskets.
As for the orthodox brothers comments, Bogdanovic is alluding to Serbia and Greece being under the same core beliefs of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Both nations are predominantly Serbian and Greek Orthodox, respectively.
Giannis Antetokounmpo calls winning bronze for Greece his greatest accomplishment
Giannis Antetokounmpo calls winning bronze for Greece his greatest accomplishment. (Photo: GETTY)After the buzzer sounded on Sunday, Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates were emotional to win the bronze medal. Antetokounmpo hugged his brothers, Kostas and Thanasis, who were also part of the national team. He told reporters after the game that this was his greatest accomplishment.
"This is probably the greatest accomplishment I have ever accomplished as an athlete," Antetokounmpo said, according to FIBA.com."The Greek Freak did clarify that the bronze medal was not better than an NBA championship he won with the Milwaukee Bucks, but it meant more to him due to playing for his country. He said:
"This is not better than the championship I won with the Bucks. Winning a championship for an NBA club is a huge accomplishment, and Milwaukee is a great city, but it is 500 or 600 thousand people. But when you are able to make 12 million Greeks happy, and you are able to inspire the next generation. ... This is the biggest thing ever."Greece was coached by Vassilis Spanoulis, who was part of Greece's golden age squad that won the 2005 EuroBasket and took home silver in the 2006 World Cup.
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Edited by Juan Paolo David
English (US)