Vassilis Spanoulis

The biggest day has arrived for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the chosen one of his heart Mariah Riddlespringer.

“We are a tough team that never gives up,” was the message sent by the national coach Vassilis Spanoulis after the game against Canada and the 86-79 defeat.

“The most important thing is that the boys never gave up. We have built this mentality in such a short period, a team that never stops fighting. We have seen this in all the official games. We are a tough team,” he told ERT.

Any issues that have arisen in recent hours are being set aside; everyone is putting on their best smile as we count down to the opening ceremony, which also marks the start of the Olympic Games.

The Greek men's basketball team qualified on Sunday to its first Olympic Games since 2008, beating Croatia in the final of the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Piraeus.

Greece triumphed 80-69 at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, sparking great celebrations by the 12,000 fans attending.

An impressive Greece dismissed the challenge of Slovenia on Saturday in the semifinal of the Olympic Qualification Tournament taking place in Piraeus this week, and advanced to the Sunday's final that offers a ticket to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Giannis Antetokounmpo looked like a player intent on leading Greece to its first Olympic berth since 2008.

Antetokounmpo had 32 points in 19 minutes, going 11 of 11 from the field, as Greece rolled to a 109-82 win over the Dominican Republic on Wednesday in Group B of the Piraeus, Greece, Olympic qualifying tournament.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s passion and desire to perform well in front of the Greek crowd that filled the SEF were evident from the first minutes of the match against the Dominican Republic, propelling the Men’s National Team in the Pre-Olympic tournament.

Vassilis Spanoulis has confirmed that the Greek superstar will be at the SEF Pre-Olympics on July 2-7

Greek basketball legend Vassilis Spanoulis on Saturday announced his decision to retire from the game at the age of 38, in a message posted on his official Instagram account.

The captain of the Olympiacos Piraeus basketball team said he decided to "hang up his boots" after a meeting with the club owners, the Angelopoulos brothers, where he told them about his decision to retire.

Olympiakos scored two road wins within 48 hours to return of the top eight of the Euroleague table, while Panathinaikos went down again at home.

The Reds first triumphed at Barcelona, winning 96-88 on Tuesday against the joint leader of the Euroleague, stunning their hosts from the outset with a 12-0 run.