Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo
Milwaukee Bucks called out by NBPA over Giannis Antetokounmpo originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The National Basketball Players Association called out the Milwaukee Bucks for trying to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo sidelined for the remainder of the season, despite the star forward’s objections.
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“The Player Participation Policy was designed by the league to hold teams accountable and ensure that when an All-Star like Giannis Antetokounmpo is healthy and ready to play, he is on the court,” the union said in its statement, via ESPN.
“Unfortunately, anti-tanking policies are only as effective as their enforcement; fans, broadcast partners, and the integrity of the game itself will continue to suffer as long as ownership goes unchecked. We look forward to collaborating with the NBA on meaningful new proposals that will directly address and discourage tanking.”
For some quick background, the Bucks basically want to shut down Antetokounmpo for the remainder of the current campaign. He’s currently sidelined with a bone bruise in his knee. Antetokounmpo, however, is against this idea and wants to play again this season.
Milwaukee’s reasoning for wanting to shut down Antetokounmpo is pretty simple. They’re not going to make the playoffs, and they don’t want him to get hurt in what basically amounts to meaningless games.
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It’s understandable, honestly, but so is Antetokounmpo’s desire to play. After all he does get paid to… play.
Given their differences, it’s fair to wonder not only if Antetokounmpo will play for the Bucks again this season, but if he’ll ever play for them again at all.
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