Giannis Antetokounmpo’s compatriot Stefanos Tsitsipas sends message to Greek NBA superstar ahead of EuroBasket SF vs Turkey

September 11, 2025

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Greek tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas has opened up about his bond with compatriot Giannis Antetokounmpo. The basketball star plays for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA and was also the NBA Champion and the finals MVP in 2021.

Tsitsipas’ remarks came just ahead of Greece’s Eurobasket semifinal game against Turkey, where Antetokounmpo will also be featuring. The 2021 NBA Finals MVP put on a show during Greece’s last game in the quarterfinal stages against Lithuania, where he added 29 points and 6 rebounds to lead his team to an 87-76 victory.

Speaking in an interview, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greek counterpart, Tsitsipas, expressed his love for basketball and explained his relationship with the former. The tennis player also revealed that the Milwaukee Bucks player had also shared his NBA channel codes with him and shared that he and his team will be supporting Antetokounmpo and the Greek national side against Turkey.

He said (via SDNA):

"It's amazing that we are spending these moments not only with Greek tennis, but also with sports that we see constantly rising. Basketball is a great love of mine. I'm crazy about basketball, and I also watch the NBA, Giannis has given me his codes for the NBA Channel!"

"I am grateful to him for this, I also gave him my Tennis TV codes! It's beautiful that we have such a sporting relationship and give each other a boost through our sports. It's very healthy. I wish them the best of luck, we will see them on Friday, we have said it with the team. For us it is a great moment and we will fully support them," Tsitsipas added.

On a personal note, Stefanos Tsitsipas hasn't had the smoothest of seasons in 2025. The Greek player has endured several tough defeats in the season, including a second-round loss against Daniel Altmaier at the US Open 2025. The 27-year-old has also faced early eliminations at the other Grand Slams this year.

Stefanos Tsitsipas opens up about bringing his father on board as coach

Stefanos Tsitsipas recently shared his thoughts about regrouping with his father, Apostolos, after splitting with coach Goran Ivanisevic in July. The Greek player spent a very short tenure with Ivanisevic and split right after Wimbledon.

Speaking of his decision last month, Tsitsipas said that he wanted to work with the person who can go the extra mile on the court to help him improve his skills and be perfect. Tsitsipas said (via ATP Tour):

"It is trying to figure out the person who cares the most about me and really is going to spend extra hours on the court, perfecting me, trying to get me as good as possible."

Further in the conversation, Stefanos Tsitsipas also remarked that he is hoping that his partnership with his father, Apostolos, and former coach can succeed in this tenure.

About the author

Soumik is a journalist at Sportskeeda who covers US Olympics. Currently an Honors student of Journalism and Mass Communication, he has also worked for other firms as a tennis and football content writer.

Soumik’s favorite Olympian is Michael Phelps and he believes that the eight-time Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer has revolutionized the spectrum of Swimming. Nonetheless, the adrenaline rush that Track & Field sports offer interests him the most; and Neeraj Chopra’s historic gold-medal victory at the 2020 Tokyo Games is his favorite moment from past Olympics.

Soumik sources data and facts from credible sources like BBC and NBC for accurate and relevant reporting, and keeps up with updates on social media and news media platforms.

He feels that covering collegiate tournaments, similar to what is done in the United States can be a good way to cover the bridge the coverage gap during the Olympics off season.

When not reporting on the latest Olympics news stories, Soumik likes to play cricket and watch movies.

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