Giannis Antetokounmpo, who just finished his Paris Olympics campaign representing the Greek national team, heard this and made his feelings known through a short, three-word tweet.
Last season, the Milwaukee Bucks played against the New York Knicks on Christmas Day at the Madison Square Garden, where the hosts won with a score of 129-122. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard had 32 points each in the losing effort, while Khris Middleton added 24 points.
The Milwaukee Bucks compiled a 49-33 record in the 2023-24 regular season, good for third in the Eastern Conference. However, despite being a top-three seed, they were bounced out of the first round for the second year in a row, losing to the Indiana Pacers in six games.
One of the reasons why the Milwaukee Bucks were eliminated early in the playoffs is that they didn’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo at full strength.
After averaging 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.2 steals on 61.1 percent shooting from the field in 73 regular season games, the Greek Freak only played three playoff games due to a calf injury against Indiana, averaging 23.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game on 52.8 percent shooting from the field.
During his exit interview, Giannis Antetokounmpo vowed to do a better job of staying healthy to be ready to contribute to the Milwaukee Bucks next season.
“That’s the first time in my career that (this has) ever happened to me. I have to do a better job of taking care of my body,” Antetokounmpo told reporters.
“Maybe I have to even adjust my game. The way I play. There’s a lot of things. I’m willing to do anything in order for me to be right there on the court and not let my teammates down,” he added.