Following news that the NBA has opened a probe into the Bucks’ and Giannis’ contradicting claims on his health status, ESPN’s Shams Charania yesterday revealed more details about the ongoing dispute, reporting the following:
“The Bucks have told NBA investigators that Giannis Antetokounmpo declined the opportunity to play 3-on-3 scrimmages as part of return protocol from a mid-March knee injury, per ESPN sources. Antetokounmpo told the league he is healthy enough to resume action.”
Subsequently, an
NBA spokesperson released the statement below via Charania, giving more details into the situation:
“The NBA’s Player Participation Policy investigation into the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo is ongoing and certain facts remain in dispute. 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. 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.”
So, it does seem like the Bucks are being truthful (at least in some part) about their assertion that Antetokounmpo is not yet ready to return; he was asked to participate in three-on-three scrimmages and declined, which is notable. If he is to return in one of these games, I think it’s entirely fair for the Bucks to want him to check every box before he does. Now, might they have further motivations for their assertion that he is not ready to play? I am sure they do, but those motivations are very reasonable.
I also want to note that there would be a heap of players (and notably, stars) across the NBA being held out by their teams for not-wholly-truthful reasons, but that it feels like the Bucks are being investigated because Giannis has brought this to the attention of the NBA and, in my opinion, made it a way bigger deal than it is. I totally understand GA is a competitor who wants to play whenever healthy—and that’s a key part of what’s made him the player he’s become—but for him not to see where the Bucks are coming from is frustrating, to say the least.
Does this new information change how you see the situation? Let us know in the comments.
