Greece defeated Israel in the round of 16 of the EuroBasket last Sunday, thanks to a brilliant performance by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who scored 37 points, 10 rebounds and a PIR of 37 in his best game of the tournament. The forward made 18 of his 23 attempts (78.3%), causing a headache for the Israeli defense.
The coach Ariel Beit-Halahmy spoke about this before the game, leaving some controversial statements: “You need an M-16 to stop Giannis”.
The M-16 is a family of assault rifles developed in the United States and widely adopted by armed forces around the world. For decades it has been the standard weapon of the US Army, as well as the most produced assault rifle of its caliber.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is gradually replacing the M-16 as its basic weapon. Since the early 2000s, it has adopted the Tavor X95, a domestically manufactured rifle that is more compact, reliable and better suited to urban combat.
Even so, both the M-16 and its variants (including the M-4) are still present in certain units, such as special forces, reservists and the Border Police. In 2024, the Israeli Ministry of Defense tendered for the purchase of 20,000 M-4 type rifles (M-16 family), with at least 51% of the components produced locally.
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