Giannis Antetokounmpo’s longest-tenured teammate with the Milwaukee Bucks thinks the two-time NBA MVP should not — and will not — return to the court this season.
“I don’t think he’ll play another game this year, for sure,” Bucks forward Bobby Portis said during one of his regular appearances on FanDuel TV’s show “Run It Back.”
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“Obviously, he’ll stay in the gym and keep his body tight and keep his game tight,” Portis said. “But playing a game on court, I don’t think that’s in the picture at all.”
Antetokounmpo has appeared in only 36 games this season due to various injuries and has missed Milwaukee’s last seven contests since hyperextending his left knee. As The Athletic first reported, Antetokounmpo wanted to play again and rejected the idea of getting shut down for the season when the organization approached him about the possibility following his knee hyperextension.
The 31-year-old Portis, who is finishing his sixth season with the Bucks, told his fellow panelists that the team’s current situation means it “doesn’t really make sense” for Antetokounmpo to play in any of the Bucks’ final eight games. On Saturday, the Bucks (29-45) were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.
“Just being smart as a pro, right now, I don’t think it’s smart for him to play,” Portis said. “Obviously, business-wise, it doesn’t really make sense, right? We’re out of the race. We can’t make the playoffs. We can’t even make the Play-In (Tournament). So, right now, there isn’t any reason for him to be out there.”
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Portis also acknowledged the reality of the Bucks being inundated with rumors about the team potentially trading Antetokounmpo. Bucks general manager Jon Horst listened to trade offers for the team’s franchise centerpiece before this year’s trade deadline, and while the organization ultimately decided to hold onto Antetokounmpo, trade talks are expected to pick up again in the offseason.
“If y’all talking about trading him, you don’t want any injury to knock value off or whatever,” Portis said. “That’s just business-wise, and then player-wise, obviously, you gotta look at just the total picture of what’s going on. We’re 10 games behind for the 10th seed and (with) nine games left, we can’t even make up ground.”
Portis’ comments are the latest development in what has turned into an ongoing saga regarding Antetokounmpo’s availability for the remainder of the season. Six days after The Athletic reported on Antetokounmpo and the Bucks being at odds over his health, the National Basketball Players Association released a statement asserting that Antetokounmpo is healthy and the Bucks were keeping him from getting back on the floor.
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“The Player Participation Policy was designed by the league to hold teams accountable and ensure that when an All-Star like Giannis Antetokounmpo is healthy and ready to play, he is on the court,” an NBPA spokesperson wrote. “Unfortunately, anti-tanking policies are only as effective as their enforcement; fans, broadcast partners and the integrity of the game itself will continue to suffer as long as ownership goes unchecked. We look forward to collaborating with the NBA on meaningful new proposals that will directly address and discourage tanking.”
A day later, Bucks coach Doc Rivers disputed the NBPA’s claim, saying Antetokounmpo is not healthy, nor has he been medically cleared to return to action. Rivers has reiterated the organization’s stance regarding Antetokounmpo’s health status each time he has been asked about it since Milwaukee first listed their star player as out with a bone bruise stemming from his knee hyperextension on March 15.
The Bucks next play Tuesday, hosting the Dallas Mavericks at Fiserv Forum.