Milwaukee Bucks star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, is expected to be unavailable for the World Cup Qualifiers in September.
The Greek National Team will play against Serbia and Georgia (13/9 and 16/9) in the second round of the Qualifiers and the “Greek Freak” would reportedly play in one of those two matches.
However, the Bucks’ training camp starts on August 27th and it’s unlikely the team will give him permission to travel to Greece for two weeks and play in the Qualifiers.
Milwaukee have high expectations ahead of the new season (new stadium, new coach, different playing style) and they will need Antetokounmpo to take part in the training camp from day one.
The Bucks failed to reach the second round of the 2018 NBA playoffs and were eliminated by the Boston Celtics (4-3), ending the season in a disappointment.
This year, though, and with LeBron James leaving the Eastern Conference and joining the LA Lakers in the West, Antetokounmpo and his teammates have a golden opportunity to become a top team in the East and one of the league’s title contenders.
With that in mind, Milwaukee will not let Antetokounmpo join Greece and the young star will miss the national team’s crucial matches.
The official announcement of the Greek Federation, regarding the players that will compete against Serbia and Georgia, is now expected within the next few days.
