After a slow start to their season spurred Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors, the Milwaukee Bucks have scratched and clawed their way back into the NBA playoff picture, where they hold the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference.
Yet, while they won three of their past five games entering the NBA All-Star break, now the Bucks will have to soldier on without one of their most impactful role players.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Bobby Portis suspended for 25 games
According to ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania, Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis has been suspended for 25 games due to reportedly violating the league’s anti-drug policy.
Portis reportedly “unintentionally took a pain medication called Tramadol, thinking he was taking a pain medication called Toradol.”
This is the eighth season in a row where Portis has averaged more than 10 points per game. He’s been a sixth-man finalist three times, all with the Bucks, including in each of the past two years.
Portis has made seven starts and has appeared in 46 out of the 53 games Milwaukee has played so far this season. Now coach Doc Rivers will have to go even deeper into his bench to try to replace the 25.3 minutes Portis averages in the current rotation.
Related: NBA MVP race 2024-25: How does Giannis Antetokounmpo stack up?
