A timeline of Giannis Antetokounmpo's injuries during his NBA career and how quickly he returns from them
Some were minor. Some were major. Some seemed major and turned out to be barely a flesh wound.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has racked up some mileage on his body in 10 years, and that's bound to lead to some injuries. He's also proven uncharacteristically built to recover quickly from those injuries, and he seldom misses time at all.
Here's a look at what he's faced in his 10-year NBA career.
February 2023: Right quad contusion
Concern level: Low
Giannis returned from a wrist injury earlier than expected Feb. 24, the first day back from the all-star break, but left after only six minutes against the Heat after the team said he knocked knees with an opponent. The right quad contusion kept him out of the next game, as well, but he was back in a 118-104 win over the Nets two days after that.
February 2023: Right wrist sprain
Concern level: Medium-high
Technically, it's an injury that didn't cost Giannis any games thanks to its timing. Antetokounmpo had to leave the Feb. 16 battle in Chicago after injuring his right wrist on a stanchion underneath the basket, moments after setting the franchise's all-time assists record, no less. It happened to be the last game before the all-star break, and Antetokounmpo still attended all-star game festivities, though his action in the game itself was limited to one brief cameo. He did go to New York for further testing on Feb. 20 but after it was determined no serious damage occurred, he was back at practice on Feb. 22. He then was considered doubtful to play the morning of Feb. 24 but returned to the starting lineup that night.
November 2022 - January 2023: Left knee soreness
Concern level: Medium
Giannis missed three of four games from Nov. 5 to Nov. 11 (the Bucks went 2-1 in those games) after experiencing soreness. He played the next nine games after that before missing a Dec. 3 contest with the same ailment. After another six games, he missed another game (the Bucks won both December contests he was out). After another six games, he missed a Jan. 1 battle against Washington (which the Bucks lost).
The soreness became an issue again in January, when Giannis missed five straight games (the Bucks went 2-3) from Jan. 12 to Jan. 21.
January-April 2022: Right knee soreness
Concern level: Low
Giannis missed three games in a stretch of seven, two days after he tweaked his knee early in a March 16 game against the Sacramento Kings (Giannis finished that game and scored 36 points with 10 rebounds). He didn't miss consecutive games, however; the Bucks went 1-2 in those games but in a game April 1 against the Clippers, Milwaukee sat several players.
Giannis had previously missed a Jan. 22 game with the same issue.
February 2022: Left ankle soreness
Concern level: Low
After rolling his ankle Feb. 10 against Phoenix, Giannis missed the Feb. 14 game. One day later, he scored 50 points with 14 rebounds in a win over Indiana.
December 2021: Health and safety protocol and right calf soreness
Concern level: Low
Giannis entered into the league's health and safety protocol in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and missed five games from Dec. 15-23; the Bucks went 3-2 in his absence. Earlier in the month, he missed back-to-back games Dec. 2 and Dec. 4 with calf soreness, games the Bucks split.
November 2021: Sprained right ankle
Concern level: Low to medium
Giannis sprained his ankle against the Knicks on Nov. 10 and missed the next game, but he was back in the lineup against Atlanta two days after that, Nov. 12. He scored 47 points the following game on Nov. 17.
July 2021: Hyperextended left knee (playoffs)
Concern level: Full-fledged panic
In one of the most heart-stopping moments in Bucks history, Giannis crumpled under the basket in Atalnta at State Farm Arena in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, having suffered what seemed like a casastrophic knee injury. News the next day that there was no structural damage was a relief, though it wasn't clear when he'd be able to play.
He didn't play in Game 5 or Game 6, but his Bucks teammates were able to win both contests without him, advancing Milwaukee to its first NBA Finals since 1974. And then, he was upgraded from doubtful to questionable for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on July 6, then ultimately played and delivered a legendary performance over the next six games. He played 35 minutes that first night and cleared 40 minutes in four of the next five games, where the Bucks rallied from a 2-0 series deficit to prevail and bring home the first title since 1971.
Giannis averaged an absurd 35.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.2 steals in the series, including a 50-point performance in the Game 6 clincher. His alley-oop slam in Game 5 and block of DeAndre Ayton in Game 4 will live on as indelible memories forever from the Bucks run.
March-April 2021: Left knee sprain
Concern level: Medium
The preamble to the injury in the playoffs, Giannis missed six straight games with a knee issue (Bucks went 3-3), something he later said dated back to during a March 20 game but seemingly aggravated during warmups against Portland on April 7 (though he scored 47 points in that game with 12 rebounds). But he missed the six battles after that from April 3-14, then returned playing south of 30 minutes for the next two games.
Giannis had missed the March 22 game (the Bucks still won by 27) and didn't dress three games later March 27, but he'd played in three straight games prior to missing the group of six.
Jan. 9, 2021: Back spasms
Concern level: Low
Giannis took a hard fall against Utah on Jan. 8 and missed one game the next night against Cleveland. The Bucks won anyway.
Sept. 8, 2020: Sprained right ankle (playoffs)
Concern level: High
In the "bubble" playoffs in Disney World, the Bucks were already down 3-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals series with the Miami Heat when Antetokounmpo was injured driving to the basket in Game 4, a battle the Bucks won in overtime to force Game 5. Without Giannis, the Bucks fell to the Heat in the next game, 103-94, and the Eastern Conference's top seed was eliminated.
August 2020: Dental surgery
Concern level: Whoa (that's "low" with a swollen mouth)
Giannis missed a game in the "bubble" regular season after tooth pain necessitated dental surgery.
March 2020: Left knee joint capsule sprain
Concern level: Medium to high
Playing in Los Angeles against the Lakers, Giannis took a hard fall and underwent an MRI on his knee, though he ultimately missed only two games before the season was suspended due to the global coronavirus pandemic. He was ready to play once the "bubble" opened in late July. It stands to reason this would have been a longer-term injury otherwise.
January 2020: Right shoulder soreness
Concern level: Low
After playing in Paris against Charlotte on Jan. 24, Giannis missed one game against Washington with shoulder soreness. The Bucks still won by 20.
December 2019: Back soreness and right quad tendon soreness
Concern level: Low
Giannis was listed as probable for the Dec. 27 battle against Atlanta but ultimately missed the game with back soreness, then the follow-up battle with Orlando, as well. Milwaukee still won both games by double digits.
Prior to that, the high profile meeting of Zion Williamson and Giannis never came to pass with both sidelined by injury for a battle with New Orleans on Dec. 11. The Bucks won the game, and it was the only game Giannis missed among the first 32 contests in the 2019-2020 season.
March-April 2019: Right ankle sprain
Concern level: Low
A meeting at Fiserv Forum against LeBron James and the Lakers also lost its luster when both James and Antetokounmpo were ruled out with injuries. Giannis missed back-to-back games; the Bucks beat the Lakers but fell to Cleveland the next night. After returning for four games, Giannis also missed a March 31 battle with Atlanta with the same issue and again sat April 6. All told, he missed five of the season's final 10 games, but he played in every playoff game. The Bucks lost in the Eastern Conference Finals to Toronto.
February 2019: Right knee soreness
Concern level: Low
Giannis missed a Feb. 9 game against Orlando and a Feb. 25 game against Chicago but played the four games in between (as well as the all-star game).
January 2019: Right quad soreness and left hip contusion
Concern level: Low
Giannis missed one game against the Wizards nursing a couple longstanding injuries but was back two days later for the next game.
December 2018: Neck soreness
Concern level: Low
Giannis missed one game against the Cavs on Dec. 10; the Bucks won by 16 points anyway. It moved them to 2-0 on the year without Giannis; the Bucks also defeatd the Raptors on Oct. 29 by 15 points when Antetokounmpo was in the concussion protocol. The Raptors would get the last laugh at season's end.
January 2018: Right knee soreness
Concern level: Medium
Giannis missed back-to-back games against the 76ers and Suns while nursing a sore knee, an issue that "is regarded as something that is always going to bother him to some extent."
Prior to 2018, Giannis did not miss consecutive games for any reason after his rookie season (2013-14). He was suspended for the opening game of the 2015-16 season after giving Mike Dunleavy Jr. the business in the previous playoffs.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Giannis Antetokounmpo injury history during his NBA career with Bucks
