Giannis Antetokounmpo left tonight’s Milwaukee Bucks game with a mystery knee injury in the first quarter.
On Friday, the Milwaukee Bucks faced off with the Miami Heat in a clash of two teams bound for the NBA Playoffs. It was a showcase on ESPN and included two of the best players in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, one of those players would not be on the court for very long.
During a Bucks possession in the opening quarter, NBA MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo served as the picking man on a possession. After some movement by his teammates, he was passed the ball in the post and set up to take his defender to the basket.
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However, after a few dribbles, the 28-year-old passed the ball back out and called for an immediate timeout. Once the play was stopped he quickly left the floor and headed to the locker room. The moment can be viewed below.
In the second quarter, it was revealed that Giannis Antetokounmpo was officially ruled out of the game. The specific injury that the seven-time All-Star has is still unclear, but it seems it might have occurred during the pick. While the play looked run-of-the-mill, there is speculation he may have had a clash of knees with a Heat player that was far more impactful than it originally seemed.
Giannis Antetokounmpo injured his left knee earlier in the season
This is the second time this season that Antetokounmpo has dealt with a knee injury. However, the issue earlier in the season was with his left knee, as opposed to the situation tonight with his right.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo stats (’22-’23): 31.8 PPG, 12.2 RPG, 5.4 APG, 27% 3PT
Tonight’s game is also his return to action after sitting out of last week’s All-Star game following a wrist ligament injury suffered in the final Milwaukee Bucks game before the break.