The loss to Team Turkiye dealt a harsh blow to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Team Greece, ending their run at the Finals and dashing their gold-medal hopes. Adding to the challenge, Turkey’s Alperen Sengun openly called out Giannis, remarking, “He’s not a great passer. He’s an amazing player, you know, but he’s not a great passer.” Rather than letting the criticism bother them, Giannis and his squad turned their frustration into motivation, battling Finland in a tight contest and pulling out a 92-89 victory to secure the bronze medal. Through it all, Giannis showed that the words didn’t faze him, letting his play speak louder than any critique.

Giannis Antetokounmpo spoke to the media after his team’s recent win against Finland. During the Q&A session, a reporter informed him of Alperen Sengun’s comments and asked whether he agreed with them and whether he thought it was fair. ESPN’s No. 2 player of this year’s EuroBasket thought for a while, and then called himself a guy who doesn’t like to talk a lot, and instead lets his game do the talking. Furthermore, he doesn’t need the criticism of others when he has the support of his close ones:

“You know, I have an incredible family. I think I have incredible people who support me every single day. I’ve built incredible relationships. I love to carry myself that way” said Giannis. “I’m not the guy that will, you know, talk back to coaches or players or people that say bad things about me. It doesn’t really matter because, at the end of the day, you won’t remember what they say. You will remember how I respond”.

“You know, so I keep everything to myself. You can go and check my, how they say coach? Go check on YouTube. Go see my clips on YouTube, and then come back and ask me if I’m a good passer or not.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s statement came just hours after Team Greece head coach Vassilis Spanoulis addressed the criticism from Turkey’s Alperen Sengun. Spanoulis dismissed the remarks, saying, “Sengun is a very, very small kid to talk about Giannis. Second, you have to know that because we hear a lot of, let’s say, different ideas from people that they don’t have an idea about basketball. That Turkish team, they lock Giannis. This is bull–it.” The veteran coach made it clear that blaming Giannis for Greece’s loss was misplaced. Reflecting on the game, Spanoulis added, “They played the same defense against Giannis. He missed four layups alone. He found more than six times his teammates. We didn’t score. So, I don’t want to hear this bulls–t. This is bulls–t.”

No matter how much Spanoulis defended Giannis, the latter really didn’t perform well that day. Despite having scored 37 and 29 points in his previous 2 games, ‘The Greek Freak’ could only score 12 points against Türkiye. He shot 6/13 (46.2%) field goals and 0-1 free throws. In the end, Greece lost to Türkiye by a score of 94-68.

Giannis certainly tried to make up for his lapse during the game against Finland. In fact, the first points of the game were recorded after Giannis did a sideways no-look pass to Tyler Dorsey. Later, when Greece was leading 5-3 with 6:30 minutes remaining in the first quarter, a series of moves was made, where Kostas Sloukas passed the ball to Giannis, who then passed it to Kostas Papanikolaou as he stood right under the basket. However, Papanikolaou did not attempt to score and instead passed the ball to Tyler Dorsey. A series of moves that eventually allowed Team Greece to add 3 additional points to their score total.

It’s not every day that one gets the better of Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, one of them did, and will earn a good prize from Alperen Sengun for it.

Alperen Sengun promised to gift his teammate one costly gift for locking in Giannis Antetokounmpo

A few days ago, Alperen Sengun participated in a press conference and, almost offhandedly, revealed a playful wager with his teammate Ercan Osmani: “I made a promise to Ercan. If you keep Giannis under 20 points, I’ll buy you a Rolex. I will keep my promise and buy him the best Rolex. My brother did his best and fought. I’m really happy.”

Osmani more than lived up to expectations, racking up 28 points and posting Turkey’s best efficiency rating of the night at 33 that day, including a flawless 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Turkey’s defense, anchored by Osmani and Alperen Sengun, effectively neutralized Giannis Antetokounmpo, holding him to just 12 points in 30 minutes. The duo’s disciplined approach neutralized Greece’s star player and demonstrated how a targeted defensive strategy can make even elite athletes work harder.

As reported by Basketball Sphere, Osmani played “excellent defense against Giannis,” a sentiment echoed by Turkey head coach Ergin Ataman: “Ercan found his open space and he made his first shot and that gave him confidence. That opened the court.” The performance highlighted both Osmani’s offensive burst and defensive focus, proving that players can elevate their game when matched against a superstar like Giannis.

Whether Osmani ultimately received the promised Rolex remains a mystery, but the anecdote underscores the far-reaching influence of Giannis on the court. His presence alone can motivate opponents to raise their level, and perhaps, in a twist of irony, Giannis might one day find himself offering incentives to teammates to maintain focus on the defensive end. The story is a reminder of the ripple effect a player of his caliber can have on everyone around him.