Giannis Antetokounmpo had a smile on his face the entire weekend at NBA All-Star in New Orleans.
From the moment the Bucks’ forward walked into his media availability session on Friday, he was astounded at the reception he received.
“This is amazing. I gotta take a picture of this before we start,” Antetokounmpo said as he saw the number of journalists, including a dozen or so from Greece, waiting at his table.
“This is crazy,” he continued. “I haven’t seen so much media in my life.”
Antetokounmpo’s historical selection as an All-Star starter was made even more impressive when he finished his debut game as the East team’s leading scorer with 30 points − more than players such as Lebron James and Kyrie Irving − and could have even won the award as the game’s Most Valuable Player had the East been able to defeat the West. They lost 192-182.
“You know, at the start of the game, I was just hoping I could get a bucket, to not embarrass myself and just have fun,” he said post-game. “It was fun. I told the coach I’m going to play hard no matter what. That’s the only thing I know how to do.”
Golden State Warriors’ superstar forward Kevin Durant said that Antetokounmpo will have a presence at every All-Star game from now on.
“That’s a big compliment coming from KD,” said Antetokounmpo when told of Durant’s comments.
“I believe I can be here as long as I play basketball. The most important thing is that I believe it. I appreciate the compliment from KD. I’ll try to be here every year because this is fun.”
Antetokounmpo made history by being the first ever Greek voted to the NBA’s showcase event, and his selection served a purpose greater than just basketball − it was also a celebration of Hellenism.
He answered questions in Greek during Friday’s media session and even told the reporters from Greece that he would prefer an international gold medal to an NBA MVP award or title.
His reason? “Because it will represent an entire country,” he said. At every opportunity he spoke of the appreciation he has for the support he has received from Greeks worldwide.
“Whatever I do, I have Greece behind me,” he said. “I try to make all Greeks proud and I thank them for their support.”
Antetokounmpo’s ascension from peddling bootleg CDs on the streets of Athens to being selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 15th pick in the 2013 draft to now, representing his team and country at the All-Star game − repeatedly over the weekend Antetokounmpo alluded to “living the dream”.
“This story and this journey is incredible,” he said after the game. “A lot of people helped me. My family was right there for me.”
Despite his impressive showing in the game on Sunday, all Antetokounmpo said he wanted to do was soak it all up with his family − older brother Thanasis, younger brothers Alex and Kosta, and his parents, Veronica and Charles.
“The highlight for me [was] seeing my family after the game on the court, taking pictures with all the celebrities out there,” he said. “Just the smile on their faces, how excited they are to be here. I think that’s the highlight.”
Still, even after all the adulation of the weekend, and the memories it created, Antetokounmpo is ready to get back to work and help the Bucks reach the playoffs.
“I was talking with [Milwaukee’s assistant] coach today and I told him, ‘I can’t wait until we get back and I start practicing and playing games’.”
Category: SPORTS
Sport news about Greece, Egypt and Cyprus
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Antetokounmpo: ‘Whatever I do, I have Greece behind me’
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Egypt 2-0 Ghana: Pharaohs maintain perfect start to World Cup qualifying
A first-half Mohamed Salah penalty and a late goal from Abdallah Saied guided Egypt to a 2-0 victory over Ghana in their World Cup qualifier on Sunday.Egypt, who won 2-1 in their opening match in Congo last month, sit firmly on top of Group E with six points while Ghana are now at serious peril of failing to qualify with just four more games to come.
Ghana full-back Harrison Afful brought down Mahmoud Trezeguet in the box two minutes before the break and Roma forward Salah made no mistake from the resulting penalty, calmly converting into the middle of the goal.
Ghana came back strongly after half-time, with Egypt’s 43-year-old goalkeeper Essam Al Hadari forced into making key saves from Christian Atsu just after the hour mark and Emmanuel Agyemang Badu in the 79th minute.
However, Saied finished off a counter-attack with five remaining to seal victory for Egypt, who are bidding for a first World Cup spot since 1990.
Victory secures revenge for the Pharaohs, who were heavily beaten by Ghana in a qualification play-off for the 2014 World Cup.
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Sherif Osman, Rehab Ahmed, Fatma Omar and Shaman Ibrahim win medals at Rio Paralympics
Egyptian powerlifter Fatma Omar won the silver medal of the women’s -61 kg event at the Rio 2016 Paralympics on Sunday. The 42-year-old missed out on the first attempt but was successful in her second and third attempts as she lifted 133 kg and 140 kg respectively to secure the silver medal. Fatma narrowly missed out on gold as Nigeria’s Lucy Ejike, who won silver in the London 2012 Games, broke the Paralympic and world record to finish first with a 142 kg lift. Yan Yang of China settled for bronze with a best lift of 128 kg. This marks Fatma’s first silver medal in the Paralympic Games as the five-time Paralympic medalist won four consecutive gold medals in the Sydney, Athens, Beijing and London Games.
Sherif Osman has claimed Egypt’s first gold medal of the Rio 2016 Paralympics, winning the men’s -59 kg powerlifting event held on Friday. The 33-year-old broke his own Paralympic and world records on his way to win gold. He lifted 203 kg in the first attempt and 211 kg in his final attempt of the 59 kg competition to win Egypt’s first medal at the 2016 Paralympics, which runs from September 7 to 18.
The Egyptian champion enjoyed a comfortable victory as Ali Jawad of Great Britain won silver after lifting 190 kg. China’s Quanxi Yang came third after a lift of 170 kg.
Osman, who used to compete in the -56 kg event, is now a three-time Paralympic gold medalist as he won gold in Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games after a lift of 202.5 kg. He also clinched the gold medal in London 2012, winning Egypt’s first gold medal of the Games as well after lifting 197 kg.
Egypt’s Rehab Ahmed kicked off the day with a silver-medal winning effort in the women’s 50kg powerlifting event.In what was a very close competition, Ukraine’s Lidiaa Soloviova set a new Paralympic record by cleaing 107kg, while Egypt’s Ahmed came in second place with a 104kg lift and Vietnam’s Thi Linh Puhong Dang in third place with a 102kg effort.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 65kg powerlifting event, Egypt’s Shaaban Ibrahim secured a bronze medal.
Ibrahim, 40, came third with a 193kg effort after Nigeria’s Paul Kehinde, who lifted 220kg, and China’s Peng Hu, who managed to secure a 200kg effort.
Ibrahim has previously appeared at four other Paralympic Games, but this marks his first Paralympic medal.
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Bronze medal for Egypt in Taekwondo
Hedaya Malak won a bronze medal after defeating Belgium’s Raheleh Asemani in the women’s 57kg event. This marked the first time an Egyptian (and Arab) woman has won a medal in Taekwondo.
