NBA players union cites ‘tanking’ in Bucks’ handling of Giannis injury

The National Basketball Players Association criticized the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday for wanting to sit superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo despite his being "healthy and ready to play," implying the team is "tanking."

The union's statement was in response to reports last week that Antetokounmpo refused the Bucks' request to play. He is currently sidelined by what the team said is a left knee injury with a bone bruise with no timeline for his return, but the 31-year-old wants to play before the season ends, per reports.

"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."

Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP, has endured an injury-plagued season that has caused him to miss a career-high 35 games. The team, which had rebuffed trade offers for its superstar, has argued that it's best for Antetokounmpo's future as well as for the organization that he cut short the season, per reports.

Milwaukee (29-42) is 12-23 without the 10-time All-Star this season and 17-19 with him. With 11 regular-season games remaining, the Bucks are the first team outside of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament in 11th place through Monday, trailing the Charlotte Hornets by eight games for 10th place.

Antetokounmpo missed 15 games due to a calf strain before returning on March 2, then sat out another two games when the team went 2-6 with him and 0-2 without him. A left ankle sprain was cited as the cause of his absence from the 122-99 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on March 14.

He exited during the third quarter after landing awkwardly on a dunk during a home victory over the Indiana Pacers on March 15. Then he missed a home loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 17 and road games against the Utah Jazz on Thursday (loss), against the Phoenix Suns on Saturday (win) and the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday (loss).

He is averaging 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 36 games and already is set to play the fewest games of his 13 seasons with the Bucks. His previous low was 61 games during the shortened 2020-21 campaign.

Antetokounmpo has career averages of 24.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 895 games (830 starts).