Giannis Antetokounmpo is grabbing headlines, even without stepping onto the court. The Greek forward has missed all four of the Greece National Team’s exhibition games leading up to EuroBasket 2025, dealing with insurance payment issues and waiting on written permission from his NBA team, the Milwaukee Bucks.
Why Did Giannis Antetokounmpo Slap His Teammate?
Fans have plenty of questions after Antetokounmpo slapped teammate Giannoulis Larentzakis in the back of the head. Normally respected for being humble and polite toward teammates, the incident was out of character for Antetokounmpo. NBA Analyst Harris Stavrou, though, has added new context, showing the whole thing might have been blown out of proportion.
Antetokounmpo and Larentzakis grew up together. They are playing for Greece since 2013, when they competed in the EuroBasket U20 in Estonia. As you can see, they are having fun together for a very long time.pic.twitter.com/IR1e9KSmfX
— Harris Stavrou (@harris_stavrou) August 17, 2025
Meanwhile, the viral video doesn’t show Larentzakis’s reaction to the slap, but Stavrou brought a new clip that features Larentzakis smiling during the play, showing that everything seems fine in the Greek camp. Stavrou also pointed out that Larentzakis and Antetokounmpo have played together since 2013.
The clip also shows footage of Antetokounmpo and Larentzakis from their younger days representing Greece, including Larentzakis giving Antetokounmpo a playful slap himself.
The incident took place during a pregame huddle before an exhibition matchup against Montenegro, a game Antetokounmpo missed due to ongoing clearance issues with the Bucks. That looks close to being sorted, as the “Greek Freak” is now primed to suit up for Greece this summer.
This situation comes down to insurance. According to Stavrou, Antetokounmpo is slated to play in Greece’s August 20 game versus Kristaps Porziņģis’ Latvia. Up to now, he has sat out Greece’s exhibition schedule because the standard FIBA insurance policy for international tournaments doesn’t fully cover the enormous salary of a superstar like Antetokounmpo.
If Antetokounmpo were to suffer a long-term injury during EuroBasket, the Milwaukee Bucks would be taking on a big financial risk since the usual FIBA policy doesn’t cover the entire salary. So, Milwaukee had to provide special written permission for Antetokounmpo to play. The same process has been applied to other NBA stars like Nikola Jokić and Luka Dončić ahead of EuroBasket.
The delay in getting clearance kept Antetokounmpo out of most exhibition games, but the nine-time All-Star still has three more exhibitions available ahead of the tournament’s start.
