Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers stood by his team’s medical decisions Wednesday, one day after the NBA players’ union accused the organization of deliberately keeping healthy players off the court.
The controversy centers around superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has been dealing with ongoing injury issues this season.
“He’s progressing,” Rivers told reporters Wednesday. “He’s just not healthy.”
The dispute began when reports emerged last week suggesting that Antetokounmpo, the 10-time All-Star and former two-time MVP, wanted to return to action but team officials declined to clear him. This prompted the National Basketball Players Association to issue a sharp rebuke Tuesday, accusing Milwaukee of deliberately losing games.
“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,” the union said in its statement. “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.”
Milwaukee currently sits at 29-43, trailing the final Eastern Conference playoff position by nine games with just 10 contests left on their schedule. The team’s struggles continued Wednesday night with a lopsided 130-99 defeat to Portland.
“We’re just trying to get Giannis clear and healthy,” Rivers said before the game. “That’s our only focus. All the other stuff, we stay above.”
The Greek superstar has battled through a difficult campaign marked by multiple ailments, missing a career-worst 36 games this season. According to reports, Milwaukee management believes shutting down their franchise player serves both his long-term health and the organization’s interests, despite rejecting trade proposals for the star forward.
Antetokounmpo’s injury timeline began with a 15-game absence due to calf problems before his March 2 return. After going 2-4 in six games back, he missed two more contests. A sprained left ankle then kept him out of a March 14 loss to Atlanta.
His most recent injury occurred during a March 15 home win over Indiana, when he landed awkwardly while dunking and exited in the third quarter. Since then, he’s been absent for losses to Cleveland on March 17, Utah on Thursday, and the Clippers on Monday, plus a victory over Phoenix on Saturday.
Through 36 appearances this season, Antetokounmpo is posting 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. This marks the fewest games he’s played across his 13 Milwaukee seasons, falling short of his previous low of 61 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 year.
Over his career, Antetokounmpo has compiled averages of 24.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists across 895 games, starting 830 of them.
