Superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will not play in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game in Inglewood, Calif., as he continues to rehab the right calf strain he suffered in the Milwaukee Bucks\u2019 102-100 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Jan. 23, the Bucks announced Thursday.<\/p>\n
In a subsequent announcement, the NBA said commissioner Adam Silver has named San Antonio Spurs guard De\u2019Aaron Fox as Antetokounmpo\u2019s injury replacement.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s All-Star Game is a round-robin tournament featuring three teams of eight players each. Two teams will be made up of U.S.-born players. Another team will comprise international players.<\/p>\n
As Antetokounmpo was supposed to represent Team World and Fox is American, the league also needed to reconfigure the lineups for the three teams in Sunday\u2019s event. Miami Heat guard Norman Powell, a first-time All-Star who is a member of the Jamaican national team, has been moved from U.S. Team Stripes to Team World, and Fox will take Powell\u2019s spot on the Stripes.<\/p>\n
Fox is averaging 19.4 points per game, his lowest since his second season in the league. But he has been the Spurs\u2019 offensive engine, and his return to the lineup after a preseason hamstring injury catalyzed the Spurs\u2019 hot start that pushed them to a 38-16 record and the second seed in the Western Conference. They entered Thursday 3 1\/2 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, whom San Antonio has beaten four times this season.<\/p>\n
When Fox was asked about his initial All-Star snub last week, he brushed it off.<\/p>\n
\u201cNah, I saw the worst team, or worst record in the league, have an All-Star. And, like I\u2019ve said, when I was traded here, I think I was averaging 25 at the time, and I wasn\u2019t (an) All-Star,\u201d Fox said. \u201cSo, couldn\u2019t care less.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harrison Barnes went to bat for his teammate after Brandon Ingram was named as the All-Star replacement for Steph Curry earlier this week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be criminal if him [Stephon Castle] and Fox didn\u2019t get a look. We\u2019re No. 2 in the West,\u201d Barnes said Tuesday. \u201cI think for what we\u2019ve done, for the teams that are below us that had two All-Stars, I don\u2019t know a case if we\u2019re talking about impact on winning and playing high-level basketball, why either of them shouldn\u2019t be selected and\/or highly under consideration for those spots?\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, with Antetokounmpo banged up, Fox is in.<\/p>\n
Antetokounmpo has missed Milwaukee\u2019s last eight games with his second right soleus strain of the season, an injury he correctly self-diagnosed when it happened. Antetokounmpo told reporters at the time that it would take four to six weeks for him to recover and get back on the floor. Friday will mark three weeks since the initial injury.<\/p>\n
In the last 10 days, Antetokounmpo, who was the subject of constant trade rumors heading into the Feb. 5 trade deadline, has done workouts on the floor before games as part of his rehabilitation process. His progress has been obvious.<\/p>\n
During his first pregame workout before the Bucks\u2019 131-115 win over the Chicago Bulls, Antetokounmpo was quite limited in his movement, largely attempting stationary shots around the court without jumping and only doing a couple of lane slides through obvious discomfort.<\/p>\n
During his workout before the Bucks\u2019 116-108 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, Antetokounmpo was making dribble moves and shooting jump shots from all over the court, including 3-pointers. In between his sessions of shooting work, Antetokounmpo was sprinting the length of the court under the watchful eye of the team\u2019s training staff, to study his gait as he attempts to return to action.<\/p>\n
The on-court work continues to progress for Giannis Antetokounmpo in rehab from his right calf strain. pic.twitter.com\/DpwIpOfYKu<\/a><\/p>\n