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Giannis Antetokounmpo

International Notes: Giannis, Jokic, Ibaka

June 9th, 2024 at 5:18pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-NBA Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Greece’s preliminary roster heading into July’s qualifiers for this year’s Paris Olympics, slated for July 2-7, per Eurohoops.

Antetokounmpo is the headliner on an 18-man roster that also includes his brother Kostas Antetokounmpo, who spent three years in the NBA with the Mavericks and Lakers. A third Antetokounmpo brother, Bucks backup Thanasis Antetokounmpo, won’t be available as he recuperates from Achilles surgery.

Panathinaikos guard, Kostas Sloukas, this year’s EuroLeague Final Four MVP, is the other marquee name joining the group.

There’s more from around the basketball world:

  • Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets remains undecided about playing for Team Serbia in this year’s Olympics, head coach Svetislav Pesic revealed during a guest appearance on the Politika podcast (hat tip to Eurohoops for the transcription). “Nikola Jokic’s participation alone certainly means something in every sense,” Pesic said regarding the All-NBA big man’s theoretical presence on the club. “From both the aspect of his individual quality and from the aspect of personality that Jokic is. Because when I say that Jokic is a better guy than he is a player, they all faint. Like, ‘You’re courting Jokic.’ Of course I’m courting him, because I want to point that out.”
  • 14-year NBA big man Serge Ibaka is reportedly signing a one-year contract to play for top EuroLeague club Real Madrid, per Javier Maestro of Encestando. In 2023/24, Ibaka transitioned back to European hoops, joining Bayern Munich, whom he paced in points, rebounds and blocks, per Eurohoops. During his prime with the Thunder, Ibaka was a three-time All-Defensive First Teamer. He won a league title with the Raptors in 2019.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo To Play For Greece In Olympic Qualifier

June 1st, 2024 at 1:51pm CST by Rory Maher

Vassilis Spanoulis, the head coach of the Greek national team, confirmed that Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo will suit up for Greece during the Olympic qualifying tournament in early July, tweets Harris Stavrou of SPORT24.gr.

The news is noteworthy because the two-time MVP and former Finals MVP hasn’t played a game since April 9, when he sustained a left calf strain. He was sidelined for Milwaukee’s entire first-round playoff series with Indiana; the Bucks were eliminated in six games.

At the beginning of May, Antetokounmpo said he did his best to return, but he was still quite limited by the injury.

“I tried my best to come back to help my teammates,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to see them being out there and not being able to help them, but I just couldn’t. I did all the tests I had to do, these protocols you have to follow and have to check the boxes. I wasn’t even close at checking the boxes.”

That same ESPN report stated that while Antetokounmpo hoped to play in the Olympic qualifying tournament, he had yet to make a firm commitment, and his decision would be based on how his calf was responding. Evidently he’s feeling better now, since Greece’s head coach says the perennial All-NBA member will be playing next month.

As Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops writes, Antetokounmpo has represented his home country in multiple international events since 2013, most recently the EuroBasket tournament in 2022. Greece hasn’t qualified for men’s basketball at the Olympics since 2008 in Beijing, when the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Host country Greece will face the Dominican Republic on July 3 and Egypt on July 4, according to Askounis. The top two finishers from each group will advance to the single-elimination semifinal. The other side of the bracket features Croatia, Slovenia and New Zealand. Only the winner of the tournament will advance to Group A of the 2024 Paris Olympics, which will begin in late July.

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2023/24 All-NBA Teams Announced

May 22nd, 2024 at 7:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The All-NBA teams have been announced for the 2023/24 season (Twitter link).

A total of 99 media members voted on the honors, with players receiving five points for a First Team vote, three points for a Second Team vote and one point for a Third Team vote. This year’s All-NBA teams are as follows:

First Team

Second Team

Third Team

Gilgeous-Alexander and Jokic were the only two unanimous First Team selections, receiving 99 of 99 possible votes. Doncic earned 98 First Team votes but was named to the Second Team on one ballot. Antetokounmpo (88), Tatum (65), Brunson (37), Edwards (3), and Durant (2) were the only other players to receive multiple First Team votes.

Others receiving votes and their point totals are the Celtics‘ Jaylen Brown (50), the Clippers‘ Paul George (16), the Sixers‘ Tyrese Maxey (16), the Timberwolves‘ Rudy Gobert (12), the Spurs‘ Victor Wembanyama (11), the Pelicans‘ Zion Williamson (11), the Magic’s Paolo Banchero (10), the Kings‘ De’Aaron Fox (9) the Heat’s Bam Adebayo (7) and the Bulls‘ DeMar DeRozan (1).

This is the first season that a minimum number of games was required to qualify for most postseason awards under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Among the stars who might have received All-NBA consideration if they had reached the 65-game threshold are Sixers center Joel Embiid, who was the 2023 MVP, along with Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, Knicks forward Julius Randle and Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis.

This was also the first season that voting for the All-NBA team was positionless, though that didn’t have a huge impact on the results, as the top two teams still feature two guards, a pair of forwards, and a center. The Third Team is made up a center, three guards, and just one forward.

Wembanyama, who received two votes for the Second Team and five for the Third Team, was the only rookie named on any of the ballots. Earlier this week, he became the first rookie to earn a spot on an All-Defensive First Team.

The Lakers with Davis and James and the Suns with Durant and Booker were the only teams to have multiple players honored. They were both eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

Several players became eligible for salary increases or earned a bonus by achieving All-NBA honors. Read more here.

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Bucks Notes: Coaching Staff Changes, Giannis, Lillard, Beverley

May 10th, 2024 at 7:14pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks have parted ways with assistant coaches DJ Bakker, Sidney Dobner, and Josh Oppenheimer, sources confirmed to Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report first broke the news.

All three coaches were assistants under Adrian Griffin who finished the season with the Bucks after Griffin was dismissed in January and replaced by Doc Rivers. As Nehm notes, Rivers brought in a few new assistants after his arrival in Milwaukee, resulting in a super-sized coaching staff, so it seemed likely that changes would be coming this offseason.

Following the changes, the Bucks now have seven assistants on their staff, per Nehm: Dave Joerger, Rex Kalamian, Joe Prunty, Patrick Mutombo, Vin Baker, Trevor Gleeson, and Pete Dominguez. With new head coaches filling their staffs around the NBA it’s possible Rivers’ staff will undergo more tweaks before the 2024/25 season tips off in the fall.

Here’s more on the Bucks:

  • Rivers said that he usually takes a bit of a break at the end of his team’s season, but that’s not the plan for his first offseason with the Bucks. The veteran head coach “can’t wait to get started” on preparations for 2024/25, as Ben Steele of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel relays. “This summer is a very important summer for us. I have a lot of work to do,” Rivers said. “I’m going to take a break at some point, but not right away. Right now, I have some work to do that I have to get things right to make sure we’re ready for next year.”
  • Last offseason, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez entered the summer as free agents and Damian Lillard wasn’t acquired by the Bucks until late September. This year, with all the team’s core players under contract, Giannis Antetokounmpo is looking forward to a greater level of stability, writes Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We’re not questioning and trying to figure out how it’s going to look moving forward. You know and now that you know, you just gotta work, strategize to the best of your abilities,” Antetokounmpo said. “Dame’s going to be here. Khris is going to be here. Brook (is) going to be here. Bobby (Portis is) going to be here. I hope I’m here. And then we go and try to find out what we have.”
  • Within the same Owczarski story, Antetokounmpo said he plans to visit Portland this offseason to spend some time with Lillard. “Go work out together, talk, sit down, just spend time,” Giannis said. “It doesn’t have to be basketball. Just spend time together. I’ve done it with Khris in 11 years. I’ve done it with Brook. It’s just what you gotta do.”
  • On the latest episode of his Pat Bev podcast, veteran guard Patrick Beverley said that before he repeatedly fired a basketball at Pacers fans in the last game of the Bucks’ season, he was called a word that he’d never been called before, per The Associated Press. However, Beverley acknowledged that his actions were “still inexcusable.” He was suspended for four games by the NBA. “That should have never happened,” he said of the incident. “Regardless of what was said, that should have never happened. Simple as that.”
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Nikola Jokic Named Most Valuable Player

May 8th, 2024 at 6:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has been selected as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player for the third time in four years, the league announced (via Twitter).

Jokic won the Michael Jordan Trophy by a wide margin, showing up on all 99 ballots and collecting 79 votes for first place, 18 for second place and two for third place, giving him a total of 926 points. Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished second, collecting 640 total points by coming in first on 15 ballots, second on 40, third on 40, fourth on three and fifth on one.

Rounding out the top five were Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (4-36-50-8-0-566), Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (1-1-4-44-23-192) and Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (0-3-1-28-32-142).

Also receiving votes were Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0-0-1-14-39-89), Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (0-1-1-1-3-18), Kings center Domantas Sabonis (one fourth-place vote) and Suns forward Kevin Durant (one fifth-place vote).

Jokic becomes the ninth player to claim at least three MVP awards (Twitter link). He ties Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone, and trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (six), Michael Jordan and Bill Russell (five each), and Wilt Chamberlain and LeBron James (four each).

The Nuggets celebrated the honor by tweeting a video tribute to Jokic narrated by his wife, Natalija.

Jokic posted another outstanding statistical season, averaging 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists in 79 games. He shot 58.3% from the field and 35.9% from three-point range as Denver claimed the second seed in the Western Conference.

Bennett Durando of The Denver Post took a closer look at Jokic’s historic season, noting that he finished fifth in the league in total points, third in total rebounds and second in total assists. He also collected 25 triple-doubles and posted a true shooting percentage above 65% for the third straight season while leading the NBA in most advanced stats, including PER, VORP, box plus-minus, and win shares.

“I think he’s stated his case pretty well,” Jamal Murray said today before the award was announced. “He does it every night. It’s hard to do what he does and face the kind of pressure that he does each and every day. He does it in the smallest ways. He makes everybody around us better. He’s a leader on the court and someone we expect greatness from every time he steps on the court. And he’s delivered. … He’s been so consistent all his career, all his MVP runs. He’s been so consistent. So I don’t expect one or two bad games to sway that in any way.”

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Eastern Notes: Wade, Allen, J. Brown, Claxton, Bucks

May 7th, 2024 at 12:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Cavaliers forward Dean Wade, who continues to recover from a right knee injury, hasn’t played since March 8, but it’s possible he’ll return to action at some point in the Eastern Conference semifinals, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). Sources tell Fedor that there’s hope Wade will be able to play later in the series, possibly as early as Game 3 or 4 in Cleveland.

Wade is ramping up his on-court activity, having conducted an individual workout on Monday and then doing some light shooting and conditioning work at Tuesday’s shootaround, according to Fedor. His availability later in the series will depend on how his knee responds to the increase in activity.

After averaging a modest 5.4 points per game in 54 regular season appearances, Wade likely won’t be a difference-maker in the series vs. Boston. However, as Fedor observes, the Cavs haven’t gotten much this postseason from Georges Niang, who has made just 6-of-29 (20.7%) shots in six games and has nearly as many fouls (15) as points (17). Having another frontcourt option available off the bench could come in handy for Cleveland.

The presence of another power forward in the rotation would be even more crucial if center Jarrett Allen remains sidelined. Allen, who missed the final three games of the Cavs’ first-round series vs. Orlando, is listed as questionable to play in Game 1 on Tuesday.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Celtics wing Jaylen Brown spoke back in the fall about wanting to take on more challenging defensive assignments and play at an All-Defensive level in 2023/24, and he has delivered on that promise, according to Chris Forsberg of NBC Sports Boston, who says that Brown will likely “draw a heavy dose” of Donovan Mitchell in the second-round series vs. Cleveland. “He’s picking up point guards, he guards bigs,” teammate Derrick White said of Brown. “Just an athletic freak. He can guard so many different positions and he just really bought in this year. I think he was a good defender before the season but just taking it to that next level, just consistently night in, night out, and wanting those challenges. Taking on those challenges and stepping up big time.”
  • Within a look at the Nets‘ upcoming offseason, Lucas Kaplan of NetsDaily cites sources who say Brooklyn remains “very confident” in its ability to re-sign unrestricted free agent Nic Claxton, even if his price is in the neighborhood of $25MM per year.
  • Adding athleticism to their roster figures to be a priority for the Bucks ahead of the 2024/25 season, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, who notes that the team will also benefit from many of its key pieces having their first full offseason together — Damian Lillard was acquired just ahead of training camp last fall, while Doc Rivers was hired in January. “I told Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and Dame I’m going to send them things all summer we’re working on for them to work on,” Rivers said. “And they both were very excited about that. I’m assuming Khris (Middleton) will like the same thing. That gives us an advantage.”
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Central Notes: Giannis, Allen, Vucevic, Haliburton

May 4th, 2024 at 8:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Bucks were hoping to extend their first-round series long enough for Giannis Antetokounmpo to return, but the two-time MVP was never close to being activated, according to Jamal Collier of ESPN. Antetokounmpo revealed on Friday that the left calf strain he suffered April 9 was still limiting him to the point where he could only run at about 30-40%.

“I tried my best to come back to help my teammates,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to see them being out there and not being able to help them, but I just couldn’t. I did all the tests I had to do, these protocols you have to follow and have to check the boxes. I wasn’t even close at checking the boxes.”

It’s the second straight season that an Antetokounmpo injury has contributed to a first-round exit for Milwaukee. Collier notes that injuries in general prevented the Bucks from establishing any kind of rhythm after Doc Rivers replaced Adrian Griffin as head coach in late January. Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton only played eight games together under Rivers.

Antetokounmpo pointed out that the team had to adjust quickly after the trade for Lillard was completed late in the offseason and then again after the coaching change. He plans to visit Lillard in Oregon this summer to start preparing for next season.

“Obviously, it doesn’t feel good. The wound, you know, it’s fresh. It’s open. You just lost in the first round,” Antetokounmpo said. “But I’m not a guy who makes excuses. Right now, I do believe that when me, Khris and Dame and Brook (Lopez) was on the floor and we’re healthy, we were one of the best offenses in the NBA. And you can go and check that.”

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • The condition of Antetokounmpo’s calf will affect his decision to represent Greece this summer, Collier adds. Antetokounmpo has indicated that he would like to play in the Olympics, but he hasn’t made a firm commitment. The Greek team will have to win a qualifying tournament in early July to earn a spot in Paris.
  • After missing two straight games with a rib contusion, Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen is listed as questionable for Sunday’s Game 7, tweets Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Evan Mobley rolled his ankle Friday night, but he’s not on the team’s injury report, according to Fedor.
  • The Bulls plan to explore trade options involving starting center Nikola Vucevic, a source tells Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times. Vucevic, 33, is owed a total of about $41.5MM over the next two years. He was noticeably slower on defense this season, Cowley observes, and he dropped to 29.4% from three-point range.
  • Tyrese Haliburton is familiar with the playoff history between the Pacers and Knicks and he’s looking forward to being part of it (video link from The Indianapolis Star). He’s also eager for the matchup with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, whom he said are both close friends.
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Bucks Notes: Giannis, Lillard, Grades, Offseason, Beverley

May 3rd, 2024 at 2:30pm CST by Rory Maher

After entering the season with hopes of claiming their second title in four years, the Bucks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season, with superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo missing the entire series due to a calf strain.

As Jamal Collier of ESPN writes, Milwaukee made plenty of changes to try to advance further in 2023/24, starting with firing Mike Budenholzer and trading for Damian Lillard. The Bucks also cut ties with Adrian Griffin, Budenholzer’s replacement, during the season, hiring longtime head coach Doc Rivers in Griffin’s place. Yet the end result was the same: Antetokounmpo injured and a first-round exit.

With the NBA’s second-oldest roster, the Bucks looked brittle throughout the season, particularly on the defensive end, according to Michael Pina of The Ringer. Khris Middleton, Lillard and Antetokounmpo only combined to play 42 games together, and while they went 28-14 in those contests, they’ve all had their share of injuries the past few seasons.

Pina wonders if either Antetokounmpo or the Bucks — or even both — will eventually decide its best for the two sides to part ways, particularly if Milwaukee slogs through another up-and-down season again in ’24/25. That could turn out to be the most prudent choice for both parties, Pina contends.

Here’s more on the Bucks:

  • Lillard, who missed Games 4 and 5 after aggravating an Achilles injury, returned for Thursday’s Game 6 loss. He finished with 28 points and four assists. While the team was obviously disappointed to be eliminated by Indiana, Middleton appreciated how much work Lillard put in to return on Thursday, per Jim Owczarski of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “It meant a lot,” Middleton said. “He was going through a serious thing that had been bothering him for a while. He felt he was good enough to go out there and play tonight. I thought he gave it everything he had also. So it’s a lot of respect from me and I think from everyone inside that locker room that he went out there and played 35 minutes. We needed him tonight, but just couldn’t pull it out.”
  • Eric Nehm of The Athletic gives an “incomplete” grade regarding the fit of Lillard and Rivers due to Milwaukee’s injuries. However, it’s clear the Bucks need to improve their roster, particularly adding more wing defenders, which will be a tall order for a team facing luxury tax restrictions this offseason, Nehm adds.
  • Mark Deeks of HoopsHype provides his offseason preview for the Bucks.
  • At the end of Game 6, Patrick Beverley threw a ball in the stands behind Milwaukee’s bench two times, hitting a pair of Pacers fans. According to Lauren Merola, Shams Charania and Eric Nehm of The Athletic, one of the fans was directing obscenities at Beverley in the lead-up to the incident, which was apparently escalated when the fan said, “Cancun … Cancun on three” when the team was breaking a huddle. The NBA is looking into the incident, per The Athletic.
  • Beverley also refused to speak to a very well-regarded ESPN producer — Malinda Adams — who wasn’t subscribed to his podcast after the game. On Friday, Adams announced (via Twitter) that both Beverley and the Bucks reached out to her and apologized.
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Bucks’ Damian Lillard Returns For Game 6, Giannis Out

May 2nd, 2024 at 4:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

All-Star Bucks point guard Damian Lillard is set to return for Milwaukee’s must-win Game 6 in their ongoing series against the Pacers on Thursday night, sources inform Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).

Lillard had been dealing with right Achilles tendinitis, which has forced him to sit out the Bucks’ last two contests, which the club split. Indiana leads the series 3-2, so Milwaukee must win out to advance.

All-NBA Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, however, will miss his sixth straight contest of the series due to a left calf strain, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Lillard’s return will be imperative as he looks to give Milwaukee’s offense a major boost. During the three games he has played in the series, the star guard is averaging 32.3 PPG and 5.3 APG across 40.7 MPG.

According to the NBA’s latest injury report, starting combo guard Patrick Beverley (right oblique muscle strain) will be available to suit up, as will starting small forward Khris Middleton (right ankle sprain).

Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton is listed as questionable due to low back spasms, though there has been no indication that his availability for the game is in jeopardy.

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Central Notes: Mobley, Garland, Pacers, Giannis, Lillard

May 1st, 2024 at 6:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jarrett Allen‘s rib injury meant the Cavaliers needed a huge performance from Evan Mobley in Game 5, and he responded with 14 points, 13 rebounds and a game-saving block in the final seconds, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN. Mobley switched onto Orlando’s Franz Wagner on a drive to the basket and tipped away a shot that would have tied the game.

“It was a big play,” Mobley said. “The game was on the line. I just went for it. I knew he was going to go for the layup. So, went for it, got a clean block and we got the rebound. So, got us to win. I’m just trying to make game-winning plays and winning plays as much as possible, especially on the stretch. And I feel like I did a good job this game.”

The win was vital for a Cavs team that had just come off two lopsided losses to the Magic and was hoping to avoid going to back to Orlando with a 3-2 deficit. Allen is considered day to day, and there’s no indication yet of whether he’ll be ready when the series resumes Friday night. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said the team will continue to use a “committee” approach if his starting center isn’t available.

There’s more from the Central Division:

  • After struggling to score for most of the series, Darius Garland provided an early spark for the Cavaliers in Game 5, Andrews adds. Garland, who had plus-minus ratings of minus-22 and minus-27 in the two losses at Orlando, poured in 17 points in the first quarter Tuesday. “Shoot. Shoot. Shoot,” Donovan Mitchell responded when asked about his advice for Garland. “I don’t give a damn. Shoot the ball. At the end of the day, go out swinging — and there’s a different spark we get when he’s like that. You see it. I’ve set the tones in Games 1 and 2, but there’s a different spark too when he’s also continuing to go. He’s a guy that’s [an] All-Star-level player, caliber player, and he’s just — shoot the ball, be you, be aggressive. And that’s what you see tonight.”
  • The Pacers feel like they squandered a golden opportunity to close out their series, losing by 23 points Tuesday to a Bucks team playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Indiana players realize that they’ll have to match Milwaukee’s intensity in Game 6. “We gotta understand they’re a team on the brink of their season being done,” Tyrese Haliburton said. “They’re playing desperate, they’re playing hard as they should be. They out-competed us tonight. Dominated us in every facet of the game.”
  • The Bucks may continue to be short-handed as Antetokounmpo (left soleus strain) and Lillard (right Achilles tendinitis) are both listed as doubtful for Thursday’s contest, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Patrick Beverley (right oblique muscle strain) and Khris Middleton (right ankle sprain) are considered probable.
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