Giannis Antetokounmpo warms up before a game against the Boston Celtics on April 3. (Photo by Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images).
MILWAUKEE - The NBA is investigating the Milwaukee Bucks over potentially inconsistent statements about Giannis Antetokounmpo's health and injury status, according to a Friday report from ESPN's Shams Charania.
ESPN report
What they're saying:
In a thread posted on X, ESPN's Shams Charania wrote:
"The NBA is investigating the Milwaukee Bucks for their handling of the player participating policy and potential inconsistent statements regarding the health of Giannis Antetokounmpo, sources tell ESPN. The league has interviewed Antetokounmpo's side, the Bucks and team doctors.
"Both Antetokounmpo and the Bucks have told league investigators different stories: Milwaukee informed the NBA that it doesn't believe Giannis is ready and actually wants to play; Giannis informed the NBA he wants to play but the team will not medically clear him, sources said.
"A year full of dysfunction between a franchise and its cornerstone played out with the Bucks' failed trade talks last August and at the February trade deadline for Giannis -- and now the league office is an audience for the latest squabble about whether he can play or not."
Injury status
The backstory:
Antetokounmpo missed a 10th straight game on Friday night against the Boston Celtics due to what the team has described as a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise. Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since landing awkwardly during a March 15 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
The Bucks still had a remote chance of earning a 10th straight playoff berth at the time of that Indiana game, but they were officially eliminated from contention last week. There’s also the possibility of Antetokounmpo getting hurt again if he returns to action – he has missed a career-high 41 games this season and had two extended absences due to calf strains.
Antetokounmpo says he’s healthy and wants to play even as the Bucks continue to say the two-time MVP is too injured to take the floor. For the last couple of weeks, he has participated in pregame warmups without showing any apparent signs of injury.
Throughout his career, Antetokounmpo has had a reputation for rapid returns from injury, most notably when he hyperextended his knee during Milwaukee’s 2021 playoff run but missed two games before returning to lead the Bucks to their first title in half a century.
Antetokounmpo’s desire to play – and the Bucks’ wishes to rest him – drew the attention of the National Basketball Players Association last month.
Future with Bucks
Dig deeper:
This dispute between Antetokounmpo and the Bucks comes at a time when his future in Milwaukee is uncertain. Antetokounmpo’s name dominated league-wide discussions leading up to the trade deadline, though the Bucks ultimately kept him.
Antetokounmpo becomes eligible to sign a four-year contract extension worth up to $275 million in October. If he doesn’t sign the extension, Antetokounmpo could become a free agent after the 2026-27 season, or the Bucks could decide to trade him beforehand.
Now they find themselves at odds over how to handle the rest of this season.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced the Charania report and information from The Associated Press.