Tensions between the Milwaukee Bucks and their star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, blew up in public on Friday, with the Greek Freak calling out the Bucks for not letting him play despite his saying he is healthy enough to. Now the NBA is stepping in with an investigation, something confirmed by NBC Sports.
Antetokounmpo pulled no punches speaking to reporters Friday before the Bucks lost to the Celtics, via Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
“I’ve never seen a case of a player saying, my caliber of player, that’s like — I’m saying it publicly — I want to f****** play. You know what I’m saying? I don’t think I’ve seen this. So, if there needs to be an investigation, great. There should be. I don’t know. There should be. Until we figure something out.”
Antetokounmpo has been out since March 17, following a left knee hyperextension that led to a bone bruise. From the start, Antetokounmpo has said he wanted to return to play this season, even though the Bucks have already been eliminated from the postseason. The Bucks have wanted — and, according to Antetokounmpo, essentially forced him — to shut it down for the season, focusing on a draft pick to help them rebuild around their star (either by using or trading the pick).
The NBA is investigating because Antetokounmpo qualifies under the league’s player participation policy (PPP), designed to keep star players on the court. If Antetokounmpo is healthy, he has to play. The NBA players’ union had previously released a statement backing Antetokounmpo, saying if he is healthy and wants to play, he should be on the court. The Bucks could face significant fines for sitting the two-time MVP if he can play.
It all fuels the idea that Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will part ways this summer.
“You know who you are dealing with. So for somebody to come and tell me to not play or not to compete, it’s like a slap in my face. So, I don’t know where the relationship goes from there.”
In the NBA, star players have the leverage — it’s a simple matter of supply and demand — and if they push for something, they usually get what they want. Players also can be terrible judges of when they should return from injury. For their entire lives they have pushed through pain and obstacles, so they believe they can do it despite an injury— which is why team medical staffs sometimes have to step in and pump the brakes.
Nobody knows his body like Antetokounmpo. However, he has played in just 36 games this season due to an assortment of injuries, and the Bucks are likely pointing to the bigger picture of his health. If an NBA doctor agrees with Antetokounmpo that he can play — and to hear the player tell it, he is ready — then the Bucks are both violating league rules and further damaging an already increasingly fragile relationship with their star. That doesn’t seem wise.
If it didn’t already feel that way after the Bucks gauged the trade market for Antetokounmpo at the February deadline, it now feels like this situation is hurtling toward an offseason divorce.
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