Lakers News: Former LA Champ To Sit Out World Cup For National Team

An unfortunate development as the games that count approach.

Team Greece had already been dealt one major setback heading into this summer's upcoming FIBA World Cup tournament, when news broke that two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had been ruled out while he continues to recuperate from a supposedly minor knee surgery.

Now, Team Greece will be without one more Antetokounmpo.

Per Eurohoops, Team Greece has revealed that Giannis' younger brother Kostas, who played for his national club during the 2021 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and the 2022 EuroBasket competition, will also sit due to an injury.

Now just one healthy Antetokounmpo, eldest brother Thanasis, remains on the roster.

Kostas, a 6'10" power forward, was signed to a two-way contract for the 2019-20 NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, though he only appeared in five regular season games and was not part of the team's playoff rotation. He inked a subsequent two-way deal with LA and also suited up for 15 contests during the Lakers' 2020-21 season. Cumulatively, he holds NBA averages of 1.0 points and 1.0 rebounds across 22 contests in his three years split between the Dallas Mavericks and the Lakers. He inked a two-way deal with the Chicago Bulls but didn't appear in any games for the club's NBA team, before continuing his pro career in Turkey and Greece. He's currently playing for Greek EuroLeague club Panathinaikos on the first season of a two-year contract.

Team Greece will play current Los Angeles shooting guard Austin Reaves and the rest of Team USA next Friday in Abu Dhabi.

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