Giannis Antetokounmpo fires back after Alperen Sengun jab, calls bronze with Greece ‘biggest accomplishment’

Alperen Sengun and Turkey got the better of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece in the EuroBasket semifinals Friday — and Sengun didn’t hesitate to explain why. The Rockets big man suggested that Antetokounmpo lacked “creativity” in his game, hinting that it made defending him easier.

Antetokounmpo heard the comment, but responded in his own way.

“I don’t like to talk. I let my game talk,” he told reporters. “I’m not the guy who will talk back to coaches or players or people who say bad things about me. It doesn’t really matter, because at the end of the day, you won’t remember what they say, you’ll remember how you respond. You can go and check my clips on YouTube and then come back and ask me if I’m a good passer.”

Greece coach Vassilis Spanoulis also chimed in, calling Sengun “a very small kid to talk about Giannis.”

Antetokounmpo then delivered his response on the court. In the bronze-medal game against Finland, the “Greek Freak” powered Greece to a 30-point, 17-rebound double-double and a spot on the podium for the first time in 16 years.

Over the course of the tournament, he averaged 27.3 points, 10.6 boards and 4.1 assists across seven appearances.

“This is something we have been waiting for a long time, and we feel relief,” Antetokounmpo said after the medal win. “Everybody believed in a common goal… you don’t deserve anything in life, you have to earn it.”

As for what it meant compared to his 2021 NBA championship with the Bucks? Antetokounmpo put the bronze medal right at the top.

“Winning an NBA championship is a huge accomplishment. Milwaukee is an incredible city, but it has 500,000 or 600,000 people,” he said. “When you are able to make 12 million Greeks happy and inspire the next generation, I think it’s the biggest thing ever. It’s probably the best accomplishment I’ve had in my career.”