Last Sunday was detrimental for the Milwaukee Bucks as one of their top players, Giannis Antetokounmpo, suffered an injury that kept him out of Game 5, a match that would have been a vital gamechanger for the team.
Early into Game 3, Antetokounmpo sprained his right ankle, stepping on it incorrectly before making a move on the floor. While it was a poor injury to receive, Antetokounmpo was back in for Game 4, using only the time in between games to allow his ankle to heal. During Game 4 this past Sunday on Sept. 6, he reaggravated the injury, once again stepping on his right ankle wrong and spraining it. Videos went viral throughout the sports mediabase of Antetokounmpo yelling as he collapsed. Any viewer would be able to tell that it would not be an injury he could come back from in just a matter of a few days.
After collapsing, Antetokounmpo was carried off the floor to the locker room. He was later seen being escorted out, told that he could not play for the remainder of Game 4 nor the upcoming, pivotal Game 5. Antetokounmpo was heartbroken, even crying as he was led out following the news. Considering how important these upcoming games were, deciding on who would make it or break it to make the Eastern Conference finals, it’s fair that Antetokounmpo was so upset.
Since Game 4, Antetokounmpo has been spotted with a noticeable limp, though what matters is that he is on his feet. He was even seen during Game 5 practicing with his team while donning a boot. While this is just one of Antetokounmpo injuries in the last year, following his newsworthy shoulder injury as well as knee injury, this sprained ankle came at the worst timing.
Antetokounmpo is one of the most vital players to the Bucks, an essential asset to success, but it has been a while since the team has tasted victory. Including this year, it has been three years of the Bucks on the track to winning big only to lose it all near the end. For example, Game 5 was supposed to be their big hope to reach the finals for the first time since 1974, but with one of their most talented players cast to the bench, they were losing that hope by the second.
This was supposed to be the big year for the Bucks, the time that they would finally make it big in the playoffs, but due to COVID-19, obviously many games and practices had to be put on hold for the safety and wellbeing of players, coaches, staff and fans. This may have been to be expected, but when the Bucks came back out onto the floor to begin practicing again, it was obvious that they were rusty, unable to flow together like they used to. It seemed like hope was gone, but they still had Antetokounmpo.
Despite his injury, that is not what is making Antetokounmpo so newsworthy these days, but instead his commitment to the Bucks. Many teams recognize Antetokounmpo’s talent and skills, knowing that he deserves to be on a winning team. Though he doesn’t have a long term contract with the Bucks, Antetokounmpo has said that he isn’t interested in leaving the team, but still, many others believe this will change in 2021.
One of the biggest names trying to get their hands on Antetokounmpo is the Golden State Warriors who are written into many articles lately in saying that they hope to take Antetokounmpo’s contract. For being such a great player, he needs a great team, one with many successes that would benefit his career. The situation with Antetokounmpo is similar to that of Lebron James moving from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat in 2010; great players need successful teams to play on.
The only issue with a trade is that Antetokounmpo is going to be one of the most expensive players to get and, during a pandemic, it could be difficult to get the kind of money needed to get him on a new team. If Antetokounmpo left the Bucks, it would be detrimental to their team, losing one of their most valuable players.
This, though, is news to face in 2021 once the decisions are put into progress, and nothing to be concerned with until Antetokounmpo even mentions that he would consider switching teams (which he hasn’t done yet). All that matters at the moment is that he is recovering and should be back to playing soon.