We have already seen some NBA players go head-to-head in the early stages of the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.
On Sunday, Washington Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura jumped all over Ersan Ilyasova in a losing effort for Japan against Turkey.
To no one’s surprise, Milwaukee Bucks superstar and 2018-2019 NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo showed up big for his native Greece against Montenegro on Sunday.
Antetokounmpo had a couple of particularly great sequences, including one where he took a steal coast-to-coast for a slam dunk that had brother Thanasis Antetokounmpo cheering on the bench.
In another, Orlando Magic star Nikola Vucevic tried to put the moves on his Greek teammates, but Antetokounmpo wound up blocking him at the rim.
Via Twitter:
.@Giannis_An34 showed out on this play, and his brother's reaction was perfect 😂 pic.twitter.com/W9rm8RcuE0
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 1, 2019
everyone needs someone in their life to get hyped for them like Thanasis does when Giannis dunks. pic.twitter.com/VfjDHSFI2k
— Steve Jones Jr. (@stevejones20) September 1, 2019
Giannis with the REJECTION as Greece gets the 85-60 win over Montenegro in the @FIBAWC!!#HellasGotGame | #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/8Go4p9m3nY
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) September 1, 2019
This is how we expect Antetokounmpo to play against lesser teams in this World Cup. He’s still playing for his national team, and so the NBA MVP is going to do all of the things that made him the best player in the league last year. That includes crazy dunks and blocks of prominent NBA centers.
Who knows how the rest of Group F play will go for the Greeks — they still need to take down New Zealand and Brazil — but having Giannis on their side certainly won’t hurt.