Gríska landsliðið varð fyrir mikilli blóðtöku í dag þegar að tilkynnt var að stjörnuleikmaður þeirra, Giannis Antetokounpo, myndi ekki taka þátt í lokamóti EuroBasket sem hefst nú í lok mánaðar. Fyrsti leikur Íslenska liðsins er einmitt gegn Grikklandi, en á sama tíma og þetta eykur vissulega möguleika okkar drengja í þeim leik, eru einnig ákveðin vonbrigði falin í því að fá ekki að sjá þá taka á einum besta leikmanni í heimi.
Ákvörðun sína um að taka ekki þátt tilkynnti leikmaðurinn á samfélagsmiðlum í beinu framhaldi af prófum sem að hann fór í hjá NBA liði sínu Milwaukee Bucks. Skilboð leikmannsins má lesa í heild hér fyrir neðan.
“I want everyone to be informed by me that I will not be able to play for the Greek national team in the upcoming Eurobasket. All this time I was pressuring myself to practice. I was trying to fool myself and not feel the pain, hoping that I will be ready for the official games. My will affected my judgement, but in the tests I took here in China with the Bucks personnel, it was time for the truth.
I failed in the tests I was put to and the reason was the pain I felt from the first seconds. I can accept the truth and deal with it in a mature manner. I have to work and improve as much as I can the condition of my knee.
Last summer I had the option to “freeze” the deal for my contract extension. This year I have no choice. I am injured, I feel pain and I must heal.
This is by far the biggest disappointment that I have felt until now in my career. I want to wish the best from the bottom of my heart to my teammates and coaches. The national team is my favorite team and in the future, I will prove together with my teammates that we can achieve high goals and make all Greeks happy.
However, for now, the present is the priority. I urge the fans to not give bigger proportions to my absence and to concentrate on the players who will fight in the upcoming Eurobasket for a success that has been missing for years. History is written by those who are present and I have with great sorrow to accept and announce that I will be absent.
Giannis Antetokounmpo”