Speaking to the media on Saturday at All-Star weekend, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo gave an update on his right calf strain, which has prevented him from playing since January 23.
“I feel good. I feel 100 percent, to be honest with you,” Antetokounmpo said (Twitter video link via the Bucks). “ … When you come back from an injury and you go through the rehab, you gotta check the boxes, right? So I gotta do things.
“I feel like the break doesn’t help, because now I gotta get on the court, I gotta play some 1-on-1, 3-on-3, 5 vs. 5. Players are on vacation right now, so it’s kinda hard for me to do that.
“So once I check all those boxes, I’m ready to go. I feel like I can play a game today.”
Head coach Doc Rivers recently suggested Antetokounmpo was close to returning from the right calf strain, which the two-time MVP has injured multiple times this season. He was sidelined for eight games in December due a right soleus (calf) strain and strained his right calf again in the Jan. 23 loss to Denver, causing him to miss Milwaukee’s last nine contests.
Antetokounmpo was named to his 10th straight All-Star game last month but he won’t compete in Sunday’s event due to the injury. Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox was selected as his replacement.
While he continued his long streak of All-Star nods, Antetokounmpo is ineligible for major postseason awards after missing extended time. He has made nine consecutive All-NBA teams — including seven straight on the first team — but that streak will end in 2025/26.
The Bucks and Antetokounmpo will likely revisit their discussions about his future in the offseason after no trade materialized ahead of the Feb. 5 deadline.
To anyone still arguing the Bucks want Giannis to stay – stuff like “not making players available for him to 1v1/3v3/5v5 with him during the all star game break, which is not even a union break, they all just do this when the team could easily make them go to a training facility and practice” gotta really ram this point home.
These are all multi-millionaires on contracts, at that money (if healthy) they should be available to hoop on 24 hours notice, anytime anyplace.
All star break is suppose to be you know a break, for everyone.
What’s the point of running 1v1 3v3 5v5 when you have an entire week off and aren’t prepping for any actual games? Do you know what the purpose of 1v1 3v3 5v5 are? Simulate actual in game experiences.
“We as the Bucs demand you come play 1v1 3v3 5v5 with Giannis for absolutely no reason as there currently no scheduled games. Don’t rest that sore knee hamstring ankle shoulder come practice for 8 hours for no reason! So decrees the Bucs!”
Play then
What is this loser talking about “They won’t make players available for Giannis to play 1-on-1″… It’s a break. Everyone is entitled to the break. You can’t force the players to hang around the gym because someone wants to play 1’s. Some of y’all say the stupidest sh*t.