Photo: FIBA

Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers is soaking in the EuroBasket 2025 atmosphere from Cyprus, keeping a close eye on Giannis Antetokounmpo as he leads Greece on the international stage.

Rivers shared his perspective on the tournament and on watching Giannis in action, highlighting both the excitement of seeing elite basketball firsthand and the opportunity to study team strategies up close.

“It’s great to see Giannis play obviously, and really just watch everybody play, and I’m in Cyprus, so it’s all good,” Rivers told Basketnews.

The Hall of Famer plans to remain in Cyprus for three to four days, attending at least two games. He explained that observing player movement, spacing, and overall team coordination provides insights he can bring back to his NBA squad.

“I love watching the movement and how they play. I always steal plays, I watch it, and I take some of these plays back home and I run them. Yeah, I love all the movement, all the elbow action,” Rivers added.

He also praised how Giannis is adapting his style to Greece’s system while maintaining the essence of his NBA game.

“He’s going to the post more here, but it’s pretty much the same stuff,” he noted.

Assistant coach Darvin Ham echoed Rivers’ admiration, pointing out Giannis’ dedication and professionalism.

“Trying to play the right way, represent his country at the highest fashion, a hard worker constantly working. I was here at the practice yesterday, constantly before after practice working on this game, so I anticipate him to have a good tournament,” Ham said.

He also highlighted Giannis’ emphasis on teamwork in the international context.

“He’s trying to involve his teammates and allow his teammates to help him help them. It’s more team oriented, more sets and all of that here is different. They don’t play as fast as we do in the NBA, but in NBA, his usage rate is off the charts. He constantly has the ball in his hands, so a little bit different role for him over there.”

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