[Amick] The team’s (Bucks) current stance — that he (Antetokounmpo) won’t be medically cleared to play despite the strong indications that he believes he’s good to go — is the clearest sign yet that these two parties are headed for a divorce in the summer.
Giannis vs. the Bucks
Meanwhile, in Milwaukee, this is what happens when a team’s agenda suddenly diverts from that of its franchise centerpiece.
Never mind that Giannis Antetokounmpo has a long and legendary reputation of playing through pain, or that the Bucks never seemed to take issue with that quality when it gave them a chance to win a championship. The team’s current stance — that he won’t be medically cleared to play despite the strong indications that he believes he’s good to go — is the clearest sign yet that these two parties are headed for a divorce in the summer. And whether the Bucks are trying to preserve his health for an eventual trade, improve their draft position, or both, the fact that this approach is directly at odds with Antetokounmpo’s desires speaks volumes about the state of affairs in this relationship.
There’s always a never-say-never component to star player decisions, but the notion of Antetokounmpo still being in a Bucks jersey when he’s eligible to sign a four-year, $270 million extension on Oct. 1 seems even more unlikely by the day. As our Eric Nehm first reported on March 19, the lottery-bound Bucks approached Antetokounmpo about the prospect of sitting out for the rest of the season after he suffered a left knee hyperextension on March 15.
Ironically, that’s the same injury he played through in the 2021 playoffs, which ended with the Bucks downing the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Finals to win the franchise’s first title in 50 years. Yet this time around, when the one-time champion, finals MVP and two-time MVP informed team officials that he had no desire to sit, it’s quite clear that he wasn’t met with the same sort of appreciation.
Nine days later, the National Basketball Players Association made a statement accusing the NBA of not holding the Bucks accountable in relation to the league’s player participation policy. This sort of tactic is extremely rare for the players’ union, and certainly reflects a doubling down of sorts on Antetokounmpo’s part. Yet, nothing has changed.
The Bucks have ruled him out of four consecutive games since Nehm’s initial report, with Milwaukee’s next game coming at home against San Antonio on Saturday. Coach Doc Rivers reiterated the organization’s stance on Wednesday, indicating that Antetokounmpo is “just not healthy.” NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the issue at his news conference following the league’s Board of Governors meetings on Wednesday.
“Prior to that press release from the Players Association, we were not aware there was an issue,” Silver said. “We knew Giannis was injured. He was within the sort of usual period it was taking to come back from that injury. I was a bit surprised by that press release.
“(But) yes, when our Players Association, our union, announces they see an issue, of course we’ll look into it. So that’s where it currently stands.”
As Silver shared, he had not yet heard directly from Antetokounmpo on the matter. One would think a superstar wouldn’t have to make that sort of call just to get back on the court, but perhaps these desperate times call for desperate measures. Or, more likely, maybe the Bucks and Antetokounmpo will just bicker until the bitter end before finally parting ways.