Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Injury Didn’t Change Greece’s Fate as Jusuf Nurkic Clarifies Controversial Remark

Going into the matchup against Team Greece, Jusuf Nurkic was quite confident. In fact, he even went on the record about Giannis, “Generally, he’s sucked at those defenses the last few years he’s played in EuroBasket. But it’s not only him, so we will be ready”. Despite this, the Bosnia and Herzegovina center’s squad was able to squeeze only a close 80-77 win even against a Giannis-less Team Greece.

The Milwaukee Bucks superstar was rested due to knee discomfort and because Greece has already qualified for the last 16 via wins against Italy, Cyprus, and Georgia. Giannis played against only the former two, scoring 58 points and 15 rebounds. However, as it turns out, the absence of ‘The Greek Freak’ did not change the plans for Nurkic and company.

During the Q&A session, he was asked whether Giannis Antetokounmpo declared ‘OUT’ of the game, reportedly 30 minutes before tip-off affected their plans. Nurkic denied the same, stating, “We still had the same attachment to the defense or offense and regardless of who’s gonna play there, you have to have the same discipline. So, for most of the night, we did have a lot of discipline”.

Though they won, the star Center also highlighted that things could still improve, stating, “We still have to learn to be better. Not helping shooters. And when shooters catch and shoot, we have a, hands down, which is when you think about crazy, then you don’t bring the hand up to the great shooters like Luka or somebody, and we have to learn from there. But, you know, il take any win, man”.

Greece may have been playing only for pride, but the win was crucial for Bosnia and Herzegovina. It kept qualification hopes alive and pushed them to 2nd in Group C. The matchup was a constant up-and-down, with Greece having an 11-point lead in the first quarter and Bosnia and Herzegovina following with an 18-0 surge to take the score up to 39-34. Jusuf Nurkic himself made 18 points through 6-12 (50%) field goals, 0-1 (0%) 3-pointers, and 6-12 (50%) free throws.

On top of that, he also recorded 10 rebounds and 3 assists. This effort played a major role in helping Bosnia and Herzegovina defeat a team that already qualified for the knockout round. However, for Nurkic, this win is just one as part of a stepping stone towards progressing in the tournament.

 

Asked Jusuf Nurkic if Giannis’ absence changed the game plan for Bosnia. “It didn’t change a lot. We had the same attachment on offense or defense. Regardless of who gonna play there, you have to have the same discipline. “#EuroBasket #GREBIH @athletiko_gr pic.twitter.com/gdpnKDylEk

— Christos Tsaltas (@Tsaltas46) September 2, 2025

“It doesn’t mean anything or everything,” said Nurkic. “Like, we still have…. we didn’t finish the job. Like you said, they already qualified. We didn’t. We had one more game with Georgia and, you know, we have 24 hours to rest, and then regroup, and you have a game plan for Georgia”.

Though Jusuf Nurkic and his squad won, they missed out on the chance of competing against Giannis Antetokounmpo. If it had happened, it would have given a chance to also clarify, on the court, what he actually meant by his ‘sucked at those defenses’ remark.

Jusuf Nurkic revealed working things out with Giannis Antetokounmpo

Jusuf Nurkic’s remarks did not play well with everybody. Comments like “Insanely disrespectful to Giannis” and “Don’t poke the bear Nurk” soon filled up social media. During the recent EuroBasket game, Nurkic was asked about the encounter he had with Giannis, who was sitting on the sidelines. “No comment” is all he said. Nurkic later even criticized the press by stating that “You are the ones who wrote something that I didn’t say?”

The Georgian federation had clarified and provided video evidence as well that Nurkic never claimed Giannis “sucked” against FIBA defenses. Rather, he had said he “saw kinda those defenses”, a statement that was misinterpreted and amplified across social media. Nevertheless, Nurkic made use of the chance to interact with ‘The Greek Freak’ and remove any doubts by himself.

Greece v France – Basket Friendly Match Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece plays during the friendly match between Greece and France at OAKA Stadium in Athens, Greece, on August 24, 2025. Athens Greece PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xStefanosxKyriazisx originalFilename:kyriazis-greecevs250824_npAcV.jpg

The on-court battle between the two was something fans missed out on due to Giannis’s leg issue. With any luck, we will see more of him and the Milwaukee Bucks star battle things out on the international level, perhaps in this very same tournament.

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