Giannis Antetokounmpo has always been deeply connected to his roots. No matter how high his NBA stardom has taken him, he has remained grounded to his values and his homeland. That humility has been a defining trait of his journey and his connection with the Greek national team.
Advertisement
So when one of his longtime Greece teammates, Ioannis Papapetrou, recently announced his retirement, Giannis made sure to show love and appreciation.
On his IG story, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar reposted Papapetrou’s Instagram post announcing his retirement, and left a heartfelt message for him. Giannis expressed admiration for Papapetrou’s commitment, both to the game and to the national team, before expressing what the player meant to him.
“Thank you for being such an inspiring teammate and friend. Wishing you all the best as you begin this exciting new chapter! May it be filled with happiness,” Giannis wrote.
Papapetrou is just 31 years old and is going into early retirement due to longstanding knee troubles. He and Giannis have shared numerous highs together as members of the Greek national team.
Giannis Antetokounmpo with a touching message to Greek National teammate Ioannis Papapetrou as he retires! pic.twitter.com/jrZkZ6OTIM
— Top NBA Fan (@TopNBAFanToday) June 23, 2025
One of the more lighthearted ones was Giannis doing the dougie during a team initiation. The ritual is that every rookie has to dance or sing when they join. In the video recorded by Zaza Pachulia, Giannis can be seen doing the Dougie.
Giannis hit the “Dougie” real smooth during his rookie days
(via Reddit u/sm_liam)pic.twitter.com/ZgzrvDGdTB
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 29, 2022
And it was smooth, to say the least, unlike his early playing days with the squad.
Antetokounmpo’s national team career didn’t start well
Early in his national team journey, things were far from perfect. As detailed in Mirin Fader’s book Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP, some of the veterans misread his intense work ethic as arrogance. One veteran even threatened to fight him, thinking Giannis was being cocky simply because of his NBA status.
There was skepticism. Teammates weren’t sure if Giannis could fit in. But he proved them wrong, not with words, but with action.
From his very first interactions with head coach Fotis Katsikaris, Giannis displayed a laser-focused attitude, asking what he needed to do to improve and help the team.
Every player, despite their success in the league, considers representing their country the highest honor. Giannis was no different. And even though things didn’t start very well for him in the national team, today he’s recognized as one of the finest talents to ever come out of his country.
