Greece and Giannis Antetokounmpo are on the verge of being eliminated from the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris after failing to qualify once more.

Even though Greece had one of the best basketball players in the world in Giannis Antetokounmpo going into the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, they would never be able to go far in their quest for the gold medal. They were forced to compete against other basketball heavyweights from Canada, Spain, and Australia for their tournament lives after being drawn into the so-called group of death. In a group where anything could happen, it’s Greece that has gotten the short end of the stick, losing their first two matchups and essentially being on the brink of elimination.

In a hard-fought contest on Tuesday morning, Antetokounmpo and the Greek basketball team lost to Spain, 84-77. It was a fitting sequel to their intense opening game loss to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Team Canada. Any resentment on the part of the Milwaukee Bucks star would have made sense, but Antetokounmpo surprised Sam Amick of The Athletic by responding in a composed manner.

In response to a brief hello from me, [Antetokounmpo] gave a quick nod and thumbs up before hurriedly leaving. Let’s just say that Giannis had a certain attitude. And who was to hold him accountable? Amick penned.

Giannis Antetokounmpo should not totally lose his composure just yet. As unlikely as it may seem, Greece can yet make it to the next phase of the competition if they beat Australia handily and improve to become one of the top third-place teams in the group stage, thus closing the gap on their point difference of -14. But for it to happen, a lot of uncontrollable factors need to occur.

Santi Aldama and Spain have the last laugh over Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece

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Giannis Antetokounmpo gave it everything he had to help Greece win. Despite down by 16 points at one point in the game against Spain, Antetokounmpo and his teammates rallied, and it was clear from his body language that he was playing with one goal in mind: winning. His 27 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists were highlighted by his decisive posterisation of Santi Aldama.

Unfortunately, Spain had a stronger, more complete squad. With 19 points and 12 rebounds during the game, Aldama led Spain in containing Greece’s ferocious comeback. To have a chance of finishing in the top eight, Antetokounmpo’s teammates—Nick Calathes, Kostas Papanikolaou, and Thomas Walkup in particular—need to step up their games.