Giannis Antetokounmpo won the MVP trophy, took the Milwaukee Bucks to the NBA title and established a Hall of Fame resume.
But the superstar said the moment could be all, after Greece beat Finland 92-89 in Sunday's Eurobasket bronze medal match.
“We did it. It's probably one of my biggest achievements as an athlete,” Giannis said as he fought back after the game. “I know I won the NBA championship, but it doesn't feel like representing your national team, representing 12 million people breathing and living in the national team. This is probably the greatest achievement of my life so far.”
He added: “My mom was happy when I won the MVP, my brothers were happy, maybe my agent. But when you win the medal, 12 million people would be happy. You inspired any possibility of 12 million people.
“This is probably the biggest achievement of my life.” 🇬🇷 #eurobasket | #makeyourmark pic.twitter.com/vaktrbovw5
– fiba eurobasket (@eurobasket) September 14, 2025
Antetokounmpo carried Greece with 30 points and 17 rebounds, winning through two free throws in the final seconds of the game.
The victory won Greece's first European rebounding medal since 2009 and their sixth medal. In the history of the tournament, they now have two types of gold, one silver and three bronzes.
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen led Finland with 19 points and 10 rebounds, almost bringing his team back all the way.
Greece took a 17-point lead and still maintained the 11-point mat in less than two minutes, but the Finnish rally cut it off in the last few seconds. Elias Valtonen had a chance to have three straight free throws, but he missed his last attempt.
Giannis grabbed the rebound, knocked down his own foul shot and eliminated it.
For Greece, the medal marks a major rebound after TĂĽrkiye was routed by TĂĽrkiye in the semi-finals.
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