Amid rumors of an impending trade suit, nine-time All-NBA Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a concerning leg injury, sustained from minimal (or, perhaps, no) contact, during an eventual home win against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
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ESPN’s Jamal Collier reports that the 30-year-old superstar has been officially diagnosed with a right calf strain.
After the game, head coach Doc Rivers told assembled reporters that Milwaukee did not believe Antetokounmpo had damaged his Achilles tendon, according to Collier.
According to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, the former two-time league MVP will undergo an MRI on Wednesday night, and Milwaukee should have more information on the exact extent of the damage soon.
Antetokounmpo fell on the court and stayed down until the Bucks’ medical team could treat him. Rivers claimed after the game that Detroit center Jalen Duren had some contact with Antetokounmpo before the fall. Antetokounmpo was helped up, but walked to the locker room under his own power.
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Antetokounmpo recently missed four fights due to a left adductor strain, all of which Milwaukee lost.
Before Wednesday’s game, ESPN’s Shams Charania indicated that Antetokounmpo and his agent Alex Saratsis had been talking about his future with the team, which has now improved its record to a still-mediocre 10-13 so far this year.
Rivers suggested before the game that there have been “no talks” about a deal with Milwaukee to get rid of Antetokounmpo, though to be fair, that’s exactly what the head coach of a team that currently has Giannis Antetokounmpo would probably say.