Milwaukee Bucks: A Bucks-centric 2019 FIBA World Cup primer

Greece

It’s only natural we start with not only Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, but also Bucks newcomer, Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who will both be vital contributors to the Greek national team in the World Cup.

Greece is slotted in Group F, along with Brazil, Montenegro and New Zealand, which ranked 12th, 28th and 38th, per FIBA’s World Rankings, respectively (Greece comes in at eighth). All games for Group F will be played in Nanjing at the Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park Gymnasium.

The Greeks will open up their World Cup account on Sunday against Montenegro, followed by their matchup against Brazil next Tuesday and they will close out the first group stage against New Zealand next Thursday. For Bucks fans looking to watch the games live, all games will be played at 7 a.m. central time and you’ll need to subscribe to ESPN+ to catch the action for all games.

With the reigning MVP back in the fold for the national team and looking as impressive as he’s been in an NBA setting, Greece has a leg up on the other medal contenders by having the best player in the tournament. And Antetokounmpo has talked about what he would be willing to sacrifice, that being his MVP honor, in order to win the gold in China.

Should Greece advance to the second group stage, they very well could face against Team USA, which means the Antetokounmpos could face off against their teammates in Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton. But advancing past the first group stage comes first and the 24-year-old Antetokounmpo will be looking to send an early message to all the teams that are eyeing for the top honor in China.