The Bucks officially parted ways with their head coach, Doc Rivers, following a 106-126 loss to the 76ers in the regular season finale last night.
ESPN’s NBA insider Shams Charania appeared on the Pat McAfee show and directly addressed the Bucks’ situation with reference to the Hall of Fame head coach and even took a shot at the “internal mess” of the franchise in Milwaukee.
“Yeah, I mean, I haven’t really been talking about Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee for years. I started reporting on it last May. This has been like an 11 what we’re now at an 11 month saga that’s been going on between Giannis and the Bucks.”
“And so, listen, I just report the news. I just document the news. And so the truth can hurt sometimes,” said Charania.
“I stand by my reporting to the 10th degree like 100%. The reality of the Bucks’ situation is that Giannis and his camp informed the Bucks last May that he was ready to part ways. He was ready to move on. The time had come after 12 years together that we all had to move on,” Charania further reinforced his original report on the situation from May 2025.
“But John Horst, the general manager of the Bucks, and Doc Rivers, the head coach, wanted to continue to keep him and contend. And they felt like they had the roster to compete in the Eastern Conference. They thought this team was going to be a contender.”
“And then they go out and get Myles Turner. You waive and stretch, Damian Lillard. And so you add all those factors together, and it’s been a clear miscalculation of the situation,” Charania further added.
“Giannis was very clear in his private meetings with the Bucks. He felt this roster wasn’t good enough. He had serious doubts about the roster. And so listen, in a lot of ways, he was proved to be right. The season played out the way it played out.”
“I think everyone in the NBA knows exactly what’s going on in Milwaukee. I think most people in the world know exactly what’s going on right now in Milwaukee. And so we’re kind of similar to where we were last year, as far as Giannis, as far as last summer, where the Bucks will get a bunch of calls. They’re going to get a bunch of offers.”
“They already went through negotiations for Giannis in February as far as trade talks. They’re probably going to revisit a lot of those same conversations with teams like Minnesota, Golden State, Miami, and the Knicks. We’ll see how the playoffs shake out. That’s going to have a big part in all this.”
“But listen, the reality of everything in Milwaukee is this: if they spent as much time dealing with their own internal dynamics and problems as they do responding to accurate reports, they wouldn’t be in the mess that they’re in right now. So, I’m just focused on doing the job at the highest level that I possibly can,” Charania added as he fired back at the Bucks for questioning his integrity.
Recently, Rivers even appeared for an interview where he claimed that he missed Adrian Wojnarowski, who was Shams Charania’s predecessor as ESPN’s senior-most NBA insider. Charania used this opportunity to remind Rivers that he had bigger things to worry about than honest reporting.
“I’ve been watching some documentaries from time to time. I saw one about a fire festival, right? And so the part we’re at now is when, you know, everyone wants to run, and you’re doing the cover-up.”
“And again, it’s totally fine. I’m just here to document and cover it the right way. And I feel like we’ve done an unbelievable job tracking everything. And at the end of the day, the last month and a half, we’ve seen it,” Charania further added.
“The player in Giannis has been feuding with his own team about whether he can play or not. He wants to play. He feels he’s cleared to play. He told the NBA, he told the NBPA, the union, that he’s healthy and can play. They felt that the Bucks did not want to clear him.”
“And my understanding is Giannis was told that it is upper management’s decision not to allow him to play. And so, how that plays out, the NBA is still looking into the situation. We’ll see what comes of that or doesn’t come of that.”
While Rivers will no longer be the head coach, it is still unclear if they will retain him in any alternative capacity with the franchise. The 64-year-old Hall of Famer has confessed recently that he wants to spend more time with his family and grandkids at this point in his life.
As far as Giannis Antetokounmpo is concerned, he said that this news was a shock for him and not something that he anticipated. The impact of this decision on the Greek superstar’s future with the Bucks is still unclear. Antetokounmpo will become eligible for a four-year, $275 million extension with the Bucks from October 1, 2026.
It will be interesting to see if the change in the coaching position affects his decision to stay in Milwaukee, but it looks increasingly clear that this summer will spell out the end of the Greek superstar’s time with the Bucks.
Do you think the Bucks will manage to retain Antetokounmpo? Or will Charania be right about him wanting out? Let us know what you think in the comments section.
