The situation between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks has become even messier.
The team and player have been in a standoff over his current health, with the Bucks reportedly insisting he be shut down and Antetokounmpo claiming he is capable of playing.
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Antetokounmpo personally aired his grievances on Friday, insisting to reporters he is healthy and questioning his relationship with a team that has already seen multiple rounds of trade rumors.
From Eric Nehm of The Athletic:
“You know who you are dealing with,” Antetokounmpo said in an interview with local reporters one hour before Friday’s game against the Boston Celtics. “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.”
“I’m available to play today. Right now. I’m available. Do I look like I’m not available?”
Antetokounmpo has appeared in only 36 games this season and hasn’t played since March 15, when he sustained a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise.
ESPN’s Shams Charania reported the NBA is investigating the Bucks for their handling of the player participation policy and potential inconsistent statements about Antetokounmpo’s health on Friday, something the league confirmed on Saturday.
“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. “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 added fuel to that fire by saying the team ghosted him when he rebuffed their approach about shutting him down for the season, via The Athletic:
“I had an initial conversation with who I should be talking to, which is coach Doc [Rivers] — let’s just keep it at coach Doc and [general manager] Jon [Horst] — and the initial conversation is that I want to play. And after that I’ve never had a conversation again,” Anteotkounmpo said. “Nobody has ever approached me [about] not playing or whatever the plan is.”
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He then welcomed the NBA’s investigation.
The NBA confirmed on Saturday afternoon that the investigation “is ongoing and certain facts remain in dispute.” But the league did say that the Bucks had scheduled Antetokounmpo to participate in three-on-three scrimmages last week, and he declined.
“The investigation has found that the Bucks scheduled Giannis to work out last week in three-on-three scrimmages as part of his return-to-play process, but he declined to participate,” a league spokesperson said on Saturday, via Charania. “There is a disagreement as to whether the team requested that Giannis participate in a group workout earlier this week, and the league is continuing to monitor the situation.”
Antetokounmpo declining to participate would appear to contradict his assertion that he is healthy enough to resume basketball activities and play.
The NBPA has already signaled its displeasure with the situation. Rivers shrugged that off, telling reporters Antetokounmpo is “just not healthy.”
With a 30-47 record, the Bucks’ season is effectively over. They only have five games left in the regular season after Friday’s 131-101 loss to the Boston Celtics, and they have already been eliminated from playoff contention. If Antetokounmpo’s comments are any indication, they are about to enter a very interesting offseason.
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Antetokounmpo has only one guaranteed season left on his contract, which features a $58.5 million salary for the 2026-27. He has a player option for 2027-28 with a $62.8 million salary.