Antetokounmpo, who has been out since Dec. 3 with a right calf strain, addressed an ESPN report from the same day that indicated he was considering his future with the Bucks.
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo said he is “focused” on recovering and told reporters Thursday afternoon that he can’t control rumors about his future with the Bucks.
“If my agent is talking to the Bucks about it, he’s his own person. He can have whatever conversations he wants,” Antetokounmpo told reporters before Thursday’s game against the Toronto Raptors.
“At the end of the day, I personally haven’t spoken to the Bucks. I’m still focused, focused on my teammates and, most importantly, focused on getting healthy.”
Thursday was the first time Antetokounmpo, who has been out since Dec. 3 with a right calf strain, addressed an ESPN report from the same day that indicated he was considering his future with the Bucks. Sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania that Antetokounmpo and his agent are discussing whether his best option is to stay in Milwaukee or go to another team.
Antetokounmpo largely avoided questions about those wishes, emphasizing that the Bucks were in 11th place in the Eastern Conference with an 11-16 record, and said he wasn’t worried about how rumors about his future would affect his teammates.
“It doesn’t affect my job,” Antetokounmpo said. “It doesn’t affect my relationship with my teammates, it doesn’t affect my relationship with my coach. It doesn’t affect my relationship with the general manager. So, it doesn’t really bother me because they know what I’m like… right now, we can’t worry about rumors.
“We are talking about rumors and headlines, but at the end of the day we are fighting for our survival. We have to win a game.”
Antetokounmpo said he didn’t need to meet with the entire team to address rumors about his future, but he said some of his teammates have asked him individually.
“I think they understand the situation, but we have to convey urgency to the team,” he said. “Guys, this is serious… we have to turn the situation around.” We have time, but we must act with a little more urgency.
“I have spoken to the coach about this. I have spoken to several players individually. Some teammates have approached me to ask me about the [rumores] because it could affect their lives and their careers, and I answer them with complete sincerity, whatever the answer is.
Milwaukee is 1-3 without Antetokounmpo since his latest injury, whose initial recovery time was estimated at between two and four weeks. However, coach Doc Rivers stated earlier this week that Antetokounmpo has not progressed much beyond individual on-court workouts and is not close to returning. Following Thursday’s home game, the Bucks begin a five-game road trip.
Despite the Bucks’ slide in the standings, Antetokounmpo and the team have agreed that he will take his time to ensure he fully recovers. He admitted Thursday that he believes his quick return from the groin injury he suffered in November contributed to the calf injury.
“As a leader of this team, when we’re competing, you feel like if you’re not on the court to help your team, you’re not giving them the best opportunity,” Antetokounmpo said. “You feel like it’s your fault. And instead of taking your time, you go back and rush.”
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