Report: Giannis Antetokounmpo had cleanup surgery on knee

After sustaining several minor injuries to his knees over the course of this past season, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo underwent surgery two weeks ago to clean up some loose cartilage on his left knee, according to The Athletic. This is a standard procedure and while there is concern with every surgery, this one should only be minimal.

The surgery puts the former two-time MVP and NBA champion’s status for the FIBA World Cup into doubt. Team Greece is slated to begin their World Cup run starting Aug. 25 in the Philippines. Greece was also placed in the same pool as Team USA and the two sides were to play each other Aug. 18 in Abu Dhabi for an exhibition game.

“When it comes to our players’ health we always work collaboratively with the player, his representative, and our performance staff to make the best decision possible,” Jon Horst, general manager for the Bucks, told The Athletic. “In the case of national team play, we work with our partners in those federations also. No decision has been made on whether Giannis will be with the Greek national team this summer.”

Antetokounmpo, who will turn 29 in December, missed 19 games this past season with several injuries and even missed games two and three in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. This is the third straight year that The Greek Freak has failed to play 70 games in a season.

While he has said before that he wants to lead Greece to a World Cup title, I think considering everything going on with his body and the extended runs the Bucks have gone on since 2018, he needs to give his body time to rest. Now, that’s easy for me to say as someone who will never represent their country in this sort of manner, but I do know that it’s important to let your body rest and recharge, especially after the punishment Antetokounmpo went through this past season.