Why is Giannis Antetokounmpo sitting? Players Association questions Bucks
· Yahoo Sports
Giannis Antetokounmpo has been sidelined by the Milwaukee Bucks since March 15 and even though the team has been mum in their reasoning, the National Basketball Players Association has taken notice.
According to reporting by the USA TODAY Network's Jim Owczarski, the NBPA was informed about Antetokounmpo’s availability following the Bucks’ 32-point loss in Utah on March 19. The union reportedly took issue with the Bucks and NBA seemingly not enforcing its own rules, in this case the player participation policy, and released a statement through a spokesperson on March 24.
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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 statement read. "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."
The league introduced the player participation policy in the 2023-24 season as a way to help ensure star players were available to play as many nationally televised games as possible. Per the policy, "unless a team demonstrates an approved reason for a star player not to participate in a game, then, among other things, the team must:
- Manage its roster to ensure that no more than one star player is unavailable for the same game.
- Ensure that star players are available for all national television and NBA In-Season Tournament games.
- Maintain a balance between the number of one-game absences for a star player in home and road games.
- Refrain from any long-term “shutdowns” in which a star player stops playing games.
- If resting a healthy player, ensure that the player is present at the games and visible to fans."
Antetokounmpo hyperextended his left knee and suffered a bone bruise after landing awkwardly March 15 against the Indiana Pacers. He left the game and later told reporters he wanted to stay in, but the team's trainers advised against it because the game was already in hand.
The Bucks played a nationally televised game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on NBC on March 17, with Antetokounmpo's status changed from questionable with a left ankle sprain to out with a knee injury 90 minutes before tip-off.
Despite missing over a week and four games since, Antetokounmpo has maintained that he is healthy and wants to play.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Giannis Antetokounmpo sitting? NBPA questions Bucks