The NBA is investigating the Bucks for potentially violating the player participation policy as well as possible inconsistent statements regarding the health status of superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
According to Charania, the league has already interviewed Antetokounmpo, as well as the team and its doctors.
The two sides have presented differing views of the situation, Charania adds (via Twitter), with the Bucks expressing a belief that Antetokounmpo isn’t ready and doesn’t actually want to play, while Giannis insists he’s healthy but the team refuses to give him medical clearance.
Antetokounmpo has been out since March 15 with what the team has referred to as a left knee hyperextension and a bone bruise. He has played just 36 games this season due to knee, groin, ankle, and calf issues. The fewest games he had played in a season leading up to 2025/26 was 61.
As Eric Nehm of The Athletic reports, Antetokounmpo gave an interview with local reporters on Friday and said there’s a growing rift between himself and the organization.
“You know who you are dealing with,” Antetokounmpo said. “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.”
Nehm reported a few days after Antetokounmpo’s Mar. 15 injury occurred that Milwaukee had approached the Greek forward about having him sit out the rest of the season to prioritize his health, but the 31-year-old wasn’t on board with the idea. Giannis said Friday that he discussed the concept with head coach Doc Rivers and general manager Jon Horst a few weeks ago, but no one on the team has talked to him about it since.
The two-time MVP told The Athletic and other media outlets that he has been healthy for weeks. He went through yet another full pregame workout on Friday, according to Nehm, just as he’s done numerous times since the team approached him about sitting out. The 31-year-old finished the workout with a windmill dunk, Nehm notes.
“I’m available to play, but I’m not in the game,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m available to play today. Right now. I’m available. Do I look like I’m not available? … I don’t see myself in the first 12. I don’t see myself in the starting lineup.
“I don’t know what game is being played right here, I just don’t wanna be a part of it.”
Antetokounmpo downplayed the severity of the left knee issue after the Mar. 15 game and said he wasn’t going to seek out imaging. He was initially questionable for the following contest due to an ankle injury, not his knee, and Rivers said the scans on Antetokounmpo’s knee came back clean when he was a late scratch ahead of the Mar. 17 matchup vs. Cleveland.
“The good news was it was a really good image, so there was no damage,” Rivers said at the time. “Nothing. It was really just good news. But I don’t know the next part (regarding a timeline).”
The NBPA put out a statement on Mar. 24 that both supported Antetokounmpo and questioned whether the NBA is committed to enforcing its player participation policy.
“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–-ing play. You know what I’m saying?” Antetokounmpo said Friday, per Nehm. “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.”
As Nehm details, Antetokounmpo tried to walk back his comments to some extent, saying he and the Bucks needed to find an “amicable solution” to the disagreement. He also acknowledged he understood the team’s logic in wanting him to sit out to prioritize his health and the team’s draft positioning — he just disagreed with the premise.
“What are you telling me? The next time I’m going to be play basketball is October? Why? I don’t want to do that. I don’t,” Antetokounmpo said. “I want to play basketball. I was born to play basketball.
“I’ve been here 13 years and I understand the team gets eliminated from the playoffs, be smart. Taking care of your body, being in and out, just to be careful, to prepare for the next season, prepare for the next generation and the young players to get some minutes, go out there — I get that. But that wasn’t the time that this took place. That’s what bothers me. It’s almost like you waved the white flag and I don’t do that. I am sorry. I don’t. And I never, never will.”
The Bucks reportedly listened to trade offers for Antetokounmpo ahead of the February deadline, though it sounds as though they never came close to actually pulling the trigger on a deal. Bucks co-owner Wes Edens told ESPN a couple weeks ago that the nine-time All-NBA member would either be extended or traded this offseason.
This is so obvious. The Bucks are trying to tank lmao. Giannis isn’t a loser. Bucks are for sure going to get punished significantly and Giannis and I are getting traded elsewhere in the off-season. I’m disappointed with what’s going on in the Bucks organization
Buddy if the Jazz got to take a dump on Silvers desk all season and received nothing but a slight fine, why would the NBA care about punishing a team that’s about to trade away their best player? Bigger fish to fry
Monty Python memories kicking in. “I’m not dead yet!” “I’m fine!”
It’s just a mere scratch, lols. Anyways the NBA has confirmed Giannis declined to take part in any 5 on 5 scrummaging.
Giannis is a nutless diva. He wants out but will resort to any tactic to avoid clearly asking for a trade and being seen as “the bad guy”.
Lillard did it too of most recent
I hope Giannis stays
Somehow your takeaway is Giannis is a diva? Man, you must be employed by these idiots running the Bucks or not understand in the least bit what’s going on here. Few players would be as patient with the Bucks as Giannis has through all this nonsense.
Giannis is a top 5 player in the NBA with a FMVP ring.
You are a “nutless diva” for writing this crud in here. How clueless are you, seriously? Grow up, lil bro. You have the mind of a 7 year old.
He’s just trying to justify the trade out of town he always wanted by making the Bucks out to be the bad guy. It’s all calculated. Now he can say “I never wanted to leave but the Bucks did me wrong, so I had no choice but to leave”.
Giannis wanted to be a 1-team guy, its the Bucks owners who are the crybaby idiots here.
He not only can say it, he’d be correct.
Well, if it wasn’t obvious before it’s obvious now. Giannis will be traded this off-season.
Most likely to happen around the draft time as that’s when it’s easiest to accomplish.
The Bucks, the Bulls and the Warriors were right there at 9, 10 and 11 but the Bucks aren’t dummies.
Why play your all stars, win games, and go from 9 or 10 to the 11th pick?
That could be the difference between someone you really like and settling for someone else.
Tanking 101 and the Bucks are experts.
Which is exactly why the Bucks should be punished. You have a former MVP with clean imaging who is willing and able to play but is not being cleared by the team doctors because the team is worried about draft positioning. That is the definition of tanking. I’m not sure about the penalty but they could have a pick stripped.
Yes, this sure is a strange case. Generally the player is on board, but Giannis is balking?
Some behind-the-scenes stuff going on or perhaps Giannis is finally at his end?
It’s like a bad joke or a recurring nightmare. I hope they end up trading Giannis before next season starts.
That has been the Bucks ownerships end goal for the last 18 months.
I’m unclear hope the bucks have done anything differently than Utah, Sacramento, Indiana, some of their key Players have suspicious IL designations. And Gianni’s has had calf, ankle and knee issues all season. When he has played. He has not been up to his own standard.
The Bucks are doing the right thing. If the NBA and the PA question Milwaukee they should be doing the Dave with at least 6 other teams as well. This is only an issue because Gianni’s is controlling the variations. The bucks need to say FU we’re shutting him down. We’re not mortgaging the entire future of the franchise for the Ego of one player. The Bucks lose everything if he pops an achilles or an ACL playing in games that don’t mean a goddamn thing.
The league, shams, Giannis, the players association.. they all need to sit down and STFU!!!
No, you should stfu:
“When he has played. He has not been up to his own standard.”
Giannis has a 3.0 VORP in 36 games, thats 6.8 VORP aka MVP level. His career avg is 6.0. That is absolutely his standard. He is a top 5 guy in the league, still.
The Bucks FO/ownership has to be one of the worst in the league, and you are literally defending them with your chest out, while having the absolutely most wrong take possible about this….smh
YDKB
Explain to the class what VORP tracks and why it’s useful. You have no clue what you’re saying. We’re all laughing at you once again Dave. Never change.
They fined Utah and Washington though. Hell Utah was playing their guys and still got fined. The NBA used a game that Utah won as part of the excuse to fine the Jazz.
Giannis declined to scrimmage. Pretty hard to get cleared for game time no?
Giannis is playing the good guy card and want the bucks to pull the trigger on a trade without Giannis being the bad guy.
Once again, I am here to repeat to everyone what I have said for at least a year at this point:
The Bucks ownership hates Giannis and want him off the team, so they can have a full rebuild. Every single move they have made in the last 12 months has proved this to be fact. Myles Turner is maybe the worst possible player to mix with Giannis and Kuzma is second worst. That’s their “big 3” – if that doesn’t tell you the Bucks FO is doing everything they can to make Giannis want to leave….you dont know ball…
Hey Dave, you mind telling us who played the 5 with Giannis the last couple seasons? And then could you compare that players skill set to that of Myles Turner? I would love to see your expertise shine.
Here we go again…I think he’s just trying to drum up his business interest and stake in kalshi or whatever prediction bs he invested in smh
Now that is one take I sadly cant argue…why are all the elite heroes such evil people with their investing? They all do plenty of good things too, but there’s always at least one “oh hell no”-level bad thing they all do. Except Luka and Joker, who don’t really care about basketball, its like a desk job for them.
Smashing to hear a mega star player lashing out against a stupid and useless organisation!
How dare they tell someone not to play, it’s his right and their obligation to play him if he is healthy.
Fans pay to watch him play, no one would pay or care for MIL if it wasn’t for him.
Any team shutting down a star player for the season should be penalised with losing their first round picks.
What a disgrace and shambles MIL, I hope he can get out of there for good!
Lets get this over Giannis. Just come to NY. We will move Towns and OG to other teams. For young talent and picks.
Let’s see how this season shakes out obviously, but if we do make a trade, keep Towns. Giannis needs to play with a stretch 5 and KAT is the best in the biz (if used properly). Also, he’d fetch less in trade due to his salary.
Bridges, Hart, Kolek and Mitch (sign and trade) for Giannis and Sims. Resign Shamet with the mini MLE and voila:
Towns, Giannis, Anunoby, McBride, Brunson
Sims, Diawara, McCullar, Shamet, Alvarado
Not a Towns guy. He is mentally weak imo. He isn’t a max player to me. Got no choice but to root tor him. But you always wonder if he will show ip and finish. He dies dumb things. Just annoying as ell lol.
Knicks are the #3 seed.
Knicks have zero chance of beating Boston, or like half a dozen West teams.
Knicks still have work to do.
KAT does not make them take that next step.
KAT will never win a title as a starter in this league.
KAT gotta go.
They .500 against all top West teams. 2-0 vs Spurs and 0-2 vs Thunder. Both competitive gms. Please man. No one cares about the West. Knicks have to get out the East. They are 2-1 vs Celtics. Make sure you watch Thursday gm in MSG. A message will be sent. Knicks understand where tgey are. No one is going to be happy with anything less than coming out the East. One rd at a time.
That shipped sailed when you bet the farm on Bridges LOL
Not yet. We still got time. But its a good point. We, Well at least I don’t give up players as quickly as you do lol. Imo Towns is more an issue than Bridges.
Incredible comments here. This guy gave everything to the Bucks, should have left them at least two years ago for their incompetence to field a playoff-competitive Team.
Now they are ruining his season by not trading him at the Deadline, tanking and lying and he should be the villain?
The Bucks should spend the next ten years in lottery hell – with the New anti-Tanking rules in place.
And their tanking this season should make them Lose a draft pick
@Andreas knows ball.
Pretty disgusting that gambling has taken over the NBA. Everything is being done to encourage betting on games.
It’s all USA sports, BeachGuy. Gambling on sports needs to be completely dismantled and made a death penalty crime. Gambling on sports results can be controllable by the players, therefore it is not a “game of chance” like, say, poker is.
Like, any pitcher and hitter can collude together to say “ok, I will let you strike me out on my first at bat, and our cousins can place the bets for us” and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
Death penalty Dave at it again! Way to be completely wrong with your example there too bud. It’s almost like you didn’t retain any knowledge of the scandals that happened this year.
I love how much you’ve suffered this season. Your shell is cracking and sweet ol Steph is almost out of glue. Tick…tock…tick…
Another great adventure for Silver’s vaunted investigative team. I’m sure MIL is shaking over the prospect.
The bottom line is that Silver has justified and even facilitated tanking for so long, by so many teams, that he now lacks the credibility to really punish any team for it. UTH and Ainge understood this as early as last year, and openly dismissed Silver’s inquiries at that time. MIL should do the same. Like UTH, the penalties will be nothing more than fines, which is no penalty at all, more like a toll for the privilege.