By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
With the future of Giannis in Milwaukee still being in question, his latest injury adds one more chapter of drama.
According to Eric Nehm of “The Athletic”, the Bucks want to protect him and not use him for the rest of the season, but the player himself has a different opinion.
“The Milwaukee Bucks have approached Giannis Antetokounmpo about getting shut down the rest of this season, per league sources, but Antetokounmpo remains uninterested in such an approach”, he wrote.
There are 14 games left in the season for the Bucks, who are currently 6 1/2 games behind the Charlotte Hornets for the final Play-In Tournament spot in the East, and with no realistic chance to make it in the postseason.
Meanwhile, Giannis himself has addressed the issue during an interview given to the Greek NBA rights-holders COSMOTE TV.
When asked specifically if he intends to protect himself and not play for the rest of the season after the All-Star Game, Giannis said, “No one can dare come and tell me not to play. I never gave anyone that right — as long as my legs allow me, I’ll be out there.”
While Giannis has a contract with the Bucks for the 2026-27 season, there’s no indication yet if he will sign an extension, or if the Bucks will decide to trade him this summer and not lose him for free.
On the same COSMOTE TV interview, Giannis said about his NBA future: “I don’t know if I’ll leave — it’s not up to me. If it was up to me, maybe I already would have left. In a year and a half, when I become a free agent at 32, it will be up to me.”
A two-time MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo was drafted by the Bucks in 2013 and never played for any other NBA team, leading Milwaukee to the 2021 NBA Championship title.