Source: sdna.gr
The Hellenic Basketball Federation has issued a statement clarifying why Giannis Antetokounmpo and young NCAA stars will not be available for the national team’s upcoming World Cup 2027 qualifiers against Ukraine and Spain.
“To avoid any misunderstandings regarding the absence of certain athletes, it is necessary to clarify the following:
In recent years, when the NBA introduced additional security measures for certain players, the federation fully complied with all NBA requirements from the outset to secure permission for Giannis Antetokounmpo to represent the national team. A recent example was last summer, when he actively participated in both preparations and, of course, the EuroBasket tournament.
The necessary expenses were covered by the federation’s own funds, with no need for any government assistance. During this period, both the federation and the head coach reached out to Giannis for support; however, this was impossible due to the timing coinciding with a new phase in his career. At no point were financial issues a barrier to his involvement.
Regarding athletes Oleksandr Samandurov, Neoklis Avdalis, and Vangelis Zougris, who are studying at NCAA colleges, although they wished to assist the national team, academic officials at their colleges denied permission. Had they traveled to play, they would have been expelled from their studies and consequently from their college teams. It should be noted that these colleges, unlike some others, do not allow remote learning, which would have enabled them to balance national team duties with their academic commitments.”
Ukraine and Greece will face each other on August 28 at 16:00 UTC at the Xiaomi Arena in Riga. This will be Greece’s opening match of the second qualifying round. Following that, on August 31, they will host Spain at the T-Center in Athens. The team led by Spanoulis enters Group I with a 3-3 record from the first phase of qualification.
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