THE John Antetokounmpo revealed that he suggested him Kostas Papanikolaou for flag bearer of the Greek mission in Paris.
“The day I was asked if I wanted to represent the country and be a flag bearer, I said that I want my captain, Kostas Papanikolaou, to do it. I felt this was the right thing to do,” said the 29-year-old forward, dismissing the offer of the 34-year-old forward and captain of the blue and white.
“But they told me that they want me because I represent everything that sports stands for and they like the way I behave both on and off the pitch. I said great, I’d love to do that. When I did it was the biggest honor. I know my dad saw it from heaven and was dancing, literally.” he added, speaking shortly after the great win over Australia.
“I’m enjoying the moment”
Asked about the course of the National team and whether it will be in the quarter-finals, he answered:
“I do not know. I can’t predict the future. I try to enjoy the moment. I don’t know if we will be in Paris. We have to wait until tomorrow to see the result of the match Serbia – South Sudan. This year and moving forward in my career I am trying not to set expectations. I try to take it day by day. I will go back to the Olympic Village, eat good food from the cafeteria, spend some time with my teammates. When it is known whether we will go to Paris and with which team we will play there, we will focus on that and train hard to do what we did in the previous three matches. That is, to give everything to represent ourselves, our families and all those who follow and support us”.
About his presence at the Olympic Games he said: “I wanted to be at this level for a long time, but unfortunately I was not lucky. I try to enjoy every day with my teammates. The first day we got here, I texted my wife and told her I can’t stop smiling. The atmosphere is different. Obviously, I can’t be close to every basketball player from the other teams, because we compete with each other, but I see them everywhere, in the cafeteria, in the elevator, etc. The energy is different. From the moment we went with all the Greek athletes to the Opening Ceremony and saw all these people coming to Paris to cheer for us and we came back here and started the games, and saw how intensely the people live, it’s incredible. I’m glad to be here. I don’t take it for granted. You never know when it will happen again. It took us 16 years to get to the Olympics. In another 16 years I will be 45 years old. I enjoy. I’m glad my kids see me play at this level and then I can tell them stories.”
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