Milwaukee Bucks fans held their collective breath Wednesday after superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo went down with a non-contact injury in the first quarter. Antetokounmpo limped back to the team’s locker room and was ultimately ruled out with a calf strain.
After hours of uncertainty, these fans finally know how long Antetokounmpo will be out. The Bucks star will miss two to four weeks with a strained right calf, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Despite losing Antetokounmpo early, the short-handed Bucks rallied to beat the Detroit Pistons 113-109.
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Antetokounmpo’s injury happened at the Bucks’ worst possible moment. Earlier Wednesday, reports surfaced that Antetokounmpo and the Bucks had begun conversations about the star’s future with the team. While Antetokounmpo has remained loyal to the Bucks throughout his career, he has also publicly expressed his desire to compete for a championship.
Antetokounmpo had a decision to make about his future this offseason, but ultimately decided to see if the revamped Bucks could make some noise in the East. But with the team off to a 10-13 start, that dream may be over, causing both Antetokounmpo and the Bucks to re-evaluate his situation.
Calf injuries have proven to be quite worrisome in the NBA. Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton both dealt with calf injuries last season before rupturing their Achilles tendons. Jayson Tatum was also reportedly dealing with calf issues before rupturing his Achilles tendon in a game.
The timeline of these injuries has led NBA teams to take an extremely cautious approach to calf issues this season. The San Antonio Spurs found out star Victor Wembanyama is out longer than expected with a calf issue.
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After 17 games, the 30-year-old Antetokounmpo still maintains a high level of performance. He averaged 28.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. Antetokounmpo has a year and a half left on his current contract after signing a three-year extension with Milwaukee in 2023 before he can opt out.
This story will be updated.
