Giannis Antetokounmpo led Greece to an impressive 109-82 win against the Dominican Republic on Wednesday in the Olympic qualifying tournament in Athens.
In just 18 minutes he finished with 32 points on 11-for-11 shooting, two rebounds, two assists, two steals, and an epic blocked shot that made all the highlight reels on social media.
Thomas Walkup added 17 points for Greece, which led by as many as 27 and can advance to the semifinal round of the tournament with a victory over Egypt on Thursday. Giannis’ brother Kostas also contributed to the win, chipping in four points, a rebound, and a steal in 11 minutes of play.
An appearance in the Olympics is one of the few things Antetokounmpo has yet to accomplish in his basketball career.
On Wednesday, he didn’t seem to be bothered at all by the strained left calf that caused him to sit out of the Milwaukee Bucks’ playoff run in April. He got to the rim at will, went 9-of-13 from the free-throw line and knocked down his lone 3-point attempt.
“Giannis loves to be here. He loves to represent his country,” Greece coach Vassilis Spanoulis said. “He’s very humble. He’s part of the team. For a superstar you don’t find this easy. … He’s about winning.”
How Antetokounmpo and Greece can qualify for the Olympics
The tournament in Greece is one of four that opened Tuesday to settle the final four spots in the men’s basketball field for the Paris Olympics. Other tournaments are ongoing in Latvia, Puerto Rico and Spain.
The FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments include the 16 best-placed non-qualified teams from the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and the three highest-ranked countries per region in the FIBA World Ranking.
Group play at all four sites continues through Thursday, with semifinal games Saturday and the title games on Sunday.
Ranking first or second in Group B of the preliminary stage would advance the team guided by Spanoulis to a single-elimination game against Croatia, Slovenia, or New Zealand in the Semifinals.
Reaching the Final earns an opportunity to clinch one Olympic Games berth available across the six countries.
Antetokounmpo’s Accolades Ahead of the Olympics
In January Antetokounmpo became the third player in NBA history to average 32-plus points, 13-plus rebounds, and 7-plus assists on 55 percent field goals in a 10-game span within a single season. This places him among the ranks of Nikola Jokic and Wilt Chamberlain.
Antetokounmpo was averaging a career-high 31.6 points per game on 61 percent shooting. He also broke the franchise record for most points in a game last season when he scored 64 points against the Indiana Pacers. His 48 points against the Houston Rockets was the second consecutive 40-plus point game and the sixth time last season.
Antetokounmpo now equals Abdul-Jabbar’s record for the Bucks, but the legendary center went on to do it two more times with the Los Angeles Lakers, for a total of 20 games with 45-plus points scored.
Related: Giannis Antetokounmpo Fifth Highest Paid Athlete, Says Forbes
