The off-season headlines have been about Giannis Antetokounmpo by a margin. From losing his Bucks buddy Damian Lillard to the Trail Blazers to seeing himself linked to trade rumors, the Greek Freak has dominated a chunk of NBA attention. And now, keeping everything in the rear-view, the man is on a mission. “20 years later, Hellas for the title?” This is what FIBA EuroBasket’s official X account posted when Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis announced he’ll be taking part in this year’s competition. Coming out of a spectacular form last season, the 30-year-old former MVP now aims to run for the gold.

Playing 67 games, the forward averaged 30.4 points along with 11.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists, which is no ordinary feat. Now, Antetokounmpo is getting ready to go back to his roots and claim his nation’s first gold medal since 2005. “If I’m healthy, I’ll definitely be there,” he said even before things were finalized. Although this won’t be an easy feat by any means, there seems to be a momentum building within the Greek team, with a mix of veteran and rising stars. But can they go all the way? We bring you the analysis of how and where the Greek basketball team will show up.

What is Greece’s EuroBasket 2025 campaign?

There’s no doubt that one of the biggest topics of conversation heading to this year’s EuroBasket is Giannis Antetokounmpo’s participation, where stars like Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic will also actively take part. The Milwaukee Bucks forward most recently suited up for his nation during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Now, he’s eyeing a gold medal in Europe, which would be the nation’s second-ever gold in the competition’s history, if they achieve it. But it isn’t it is not going to be a walk in the park for Greece in Group C.

That’s because Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. will have to get past a group consisting of hosts Cyprus, along with other heavyweight nations such as Italy, Georgia, Spain, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Their campaign will tip off against Italy on 28th August, followed by the other matchups. So, will Greece be able to overcome this challenge? That’s why they’ve arranged several friendly matchups before they start their group stage campaign.

Greece’s pre-tournament friendly matches

The Milwaukee Bucks‘ Giannis Antetokounmpo powered his nation through the Olympic qualifiers, ending their 16-year drought from the summer games. Antetokounmpo contributed massively in that run as he averaged 25.8 points, as well as contributing 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists as Hellas finished eighth. Now, he’ll be hoping to take things up a notch in the EuroBasket by leading his team to a podium finish. However, before that, he and his teammates will have to gel up for the main event through a set of exhibition games.

Here’s the list of friendly matchups Greece will play before the group stage:

Surely going up against the likes of Nikola Jokic’s Serbia and 2024 Olympics finalists France will be a great warmup for Hellas. In fact, if all goes well, they’ll have a lot of confidence going into the tournament. Moreover, this is the time when the head coach, Vassilos Spanoulis, can test out his different lineups and see what’s working best for his team. That’s because once they head to the group stage, they won’t have a lot of margin for mistakes. Speaking of which, why don’t we take a look at Greece’s group stage schedule?

Greece’s EuroBasket 2025 group stage schedule

After a flurry of friendly games, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece will start their campaign in EuroBasket against Italy in Limassol, Cyprus. What about the other matchups? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here’s Greece’s entire EuroBasket 2025 schedule:

Will Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. reign supreme in this competitive Group C? We mean, why not? The Greek side has a lot of talent, and Coach Spanoulis’ fast-paced, defensive tactics are tailored to Giannis’ strengths. However, the 30-year-old forward surely cannot do this on his own; he’ll need his teammates to step up. This brings us to an important question: who are Giannis’ teammates?

Key participants and probable roster in Greece’s EuroBasket 2025

After Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kostas Sloukas is the other player whom Vassilis Spanoulis will trust greatly for the team’s success. The EuroLeague star is one of the top floor generals on the continent and will be key to Hellas’ success in this tournament. But, there’s more talent in this Greek roster, don’t believe us, have a look yourself:

• Kostas Panpankolaou
• Kostas Sloukas
• Giannoulis Larentzakis
• Giannis Antetokounmpo
• Dinos Mitoglou
• Panagiotis Kalaitzakis
• Dimitris Katsivelis
• Vassilis Toliopoulos
• Tyler Dorsey
• Nikos Chougkaz
• Thanasis Antetokounmpo
• Omiros Netzipoglou
• Antonis Karagiannidis
• Alexandros Samodurov
• Lefteris Liopoulos
• Nasos Bazinas

It’s pretty clear that Giannis Antetokounmpo will be the leader of this group of players and shoulder the majority of the offensive weight, especially coming off another stunning NBA campaign. However, Panathinaikos star Kostas Sloukas will have to complement Giannis if Greece wants to make a deep playoff run. But will the 35-year-old veteran be up for the task? You can bet on it.

The four-time EuroLeague champion has been one of the most consistent players in Europe for a few years now, and will be hoping to win a medal for his country. So, it will be worth watching how Greece does in EuroBasket 2025. But wait, where will you watch Hellas’ games? If you don’t know it yet, you can tune into Courtside 1981, which is the official streaming partner for the tournament.