Giannis Antetokoumpo and brother Thanasis excited by Milwaukee Bucks trip to Europe for NBA Paris Game 2020
Friday 4 October 2019 12:24, UK
Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brother Thanasis believe the Milwaukee Bucks’ trip to Europe to face the Charlotte Hornets in the NBA Paris Game will be one of their highlights of the 2019-20 season.
The Bucks, who finished last season with a league-best 60-22 record, seem likely to be in the mix at the top of the Eastern Conference when they play the Hornets at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris on January 24.
Giannis, who was voted 2018-19 regular-season MVP in June, said: "It's going to be fun. We had a chance to go to London a couple of years ago. That was really, really fun to play that game. Fans from all around the world that go watch the game, especially from Europe. So hopefully we can represent the NBA the right way and give them a show to watch."
Thanasis, the elder of the Antetokounmpo brothers, echoed Giannis' sentiments. "It's amazing for the sport," he said.
"We're European, so we understand how huge this is, having a game in a place like Paris. It's going to be really exciting for fans all over the world to come watch. I know people are traveling from all around Europe, from Africa, to come see the game in Paris, so it's an exciting thing. It's amazing."
Drafted by the New York Knicks in 2014, Thanasis spent his last two years with Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League. He is relishing the opportunity to team up with his brother in Milwaukee.
"It's something I'm really excited about, he said. Just in general, not just being with my brother, but being with my family back in Milwaukee full time. Just to make my family proud, myself proud, I just keep working hard."
Giannis believes his brother will be a valuable addition to the Bucks 2019-20 roster.
"Thanasis is a player that, he's going to be ready. I've talked with coach [Mike Budenholzer] a lot about Thanasis - this guy that sits on the left of me, I trust him," he said. "If you tell him to run through a wall, he's going to run through a wall, and he's going to get up and say, 'which other wall do you want me to run through?'
"I know he's going to be ready, I know he's going to contribute defensively. Obviously offensively, he's got to get better and know our game plan and the flow of our offense. He'll be able to knock down shots, and he's going to get better."
After earning the No 1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season, Giannis understands the upcoming campaign will be a different experience. The word is out on how good the Bucks are, and they won't be taking any opponent by surprise this time.
"We've got to focus on ourselves, which means getting better each day, competing in practice so it can carry over to the game and just build that winning culture and the great habits that we built last year," Giannis said. "If we do that, we're going to be one of the teams that are going to be the last ones standing, and that's our goal - to get better each day and improve.
"My team knows who I am, they trust me, and I'm going to put my body and everything I've got on the line for this team. And by doing that, everything is going to take care of itself.
"I think by going to the Eastern Conference Finals, by winning 60 games, by playing under a great coach like Mike Budenholzer, it gives you a lot of experience, and hopefully I can use that experience and my team can benefit from that.
"We have great pieces around this team that make this team a lot better than last year. We have the talent to play in June, but if we don't focus on what we're going to do right now, we're going to get lost, we're not going to get there.
"I know we have a chance here. So were going to try to get better every day and hopefully we're the team that plays in June."
Tickets for NBA Paris Game 2020 go on presale on October 23 through Ticketmaster's Verified Fan System.
To access the presale, fans must first register with 'Verified Fan' by following the steps below:
Step 1
NBA fans need to register their details through Ticketmaster's 'Verified Fan' system before 8pm CET (7pm UK time) on October 20 by clicking here.
Step 2
On Tuesday, October 22, the eve of presale, verified fans will receive a unique code and a link via SMS to access the presale.
Step 3
When the presale site opens at 11am CET (10am UK time) on Wednesday, October 23, fans must follow the link provided to enter the presale where they will be placed in a virtual queue.
Step 4
When prompted, fans must enter their unique code and select the category and number of tickets that they wish to purchase (maximum of 4 per code). Fans will have 10 minutes to make their purchase.
Any fan unsuccessful buying tickets via the presale, can purchase tickets through the public sale starting at 11.00am CET (10am UK time) on Friday, October 25.
For further ticket information about the NBA Paris Game 2020, fans can visit NBAEvents.com/ParisGame
