All isn’t well between the Milwaukee Bucks and their superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo at present. Antetokounmpo has ripped the Bucks for not allowing him to play when he claims he’s healthy, and he has now gone after co-owner Wes Edens.
Edens stated back in March that Antetokounmpo would be traded in the summer if he did not agree to an extension, and it turns out that didn’t go down too well. The 31-year-old didn’t hold back when addressing the comments during an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“For me, it’s like a slap in my face,” Antetokounmpo said.
Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in 2025-26, is frustrated by the fact that he found out about the ownership’s stance from the media. He believes he deserved better, with all that he has done for the Bucks franchise.
Antetokounmpo also wondered if the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s owners would ever make such a statement about Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, respectively.
“Especially [as] somebody that has been this loyal, and I’ve showed appreciation, to the team, to the community, to the fans, to everybody that I’ve worked with, you know?” Antetokounmpo said.
Antetokounmpo had been a model citizen for much of his time with the Bucks after they selected him with the 15th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. He shone on the court as well, winning two MVPs and one DPOY. Antetokounmpo also led the Bucks to their first title in 50 years in 2021, and isn’t pleased by how the organization has treated him.
“Let’s just give it an example of what I’m trying to say,” Antetokounmpo said. “A father of four, he will tell his children that they have to brush their teeth, take a nap, and be polite to their mom in order to come to the gym with him. But he tries to keep deals like this rare.
“I don’t even talk to my kids like this,” Antetokounmpo added. “And I’m not a kid. OK, I’m a grown man. And if that was the case, you should have come to me and address it [directly].”
Despite these issues, Antetokounmpo reaffirmed his commitment to the Bucks and to the city of Milwaukee. The 10-time All-Star made it clear that he won’t say that he doesn’t want to be there.
While that may well be the case, it has looked like for a while now that Antetokounmpo and the Bucks are headed for a divorce this summer. Recent events have only strengthened the belief that the end is near.
Antetokounmpo’s comments about the Bucks not letting him play led to the NBA investigating the team for its handling of the player participation policy. He told the league he wants to play, while the team doesn’t believe he is ready and actually wants to.
Antetokounmpo hasn’t played in the Bucks’ last 10 games, with the team citing left knee hyperextension and a bone bruise as the reason for it. Despite all his public protests, they have listed him as out for Sunday’s clash with the Memphis Grizzlies as well.
The NBA’s investigation into this matter is ongoing, but ESPN’s Shams Charania shared one interesting bit of information that the league has found so far.
“The NBA’s Player Participation Policy investigation into the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo is ongoing and certain facts remain in dispute. The investigation has found that the Bucks scheduled Giannis to work out last week in three-on-three scrimmages as part of his return-to-play process, but he declined to participate. There is a disagreement as to whether the team requested that Giannis participate in a group workout earlier this week, and the league is continuing to monitor the situation.”
That’s not a good look for Antetokounmpo. It will be very interesting to see what else this investigation unearths.
