Giannis Antetokounmpo Fears Calf Reinjury, Could Miss 4–6 Weeks as Bucks Slide

MILWAUKEE — Giannis Antetokounmpo may be headed for another extended absence, and the Milwaukee Bucks’ season may be headed with him.

With 34 seconds left Friday night, Antetokounmpo finally stopped trying to play through an apparent right calf injury. His calf had been wrapped since the first half and visibly bothered him for much of the game. He walked to the bench as the crowd at Fiserv Forum rose in an uneasy murmur, leaving a two-point game — and a wobbling season — in the hands of teammates and team doctors.

Milwaukee’s last shot, a desperate heave from just beyond midcourt by Kyle Kuzma, caromed off the backboard at the buzzer to seal a 102–100 loss to the short-handed Denver Nuggets. A larger blow followed moments later when Antetokounmpo said he expects to miss four to six weeks with what he believes is another strain of his right calf, specifically the soleus muscle.

“Probably the next steps will be, go to MRI tomorrow,” Antetokounmpo told reporters after the game early Saturday. “After the MRI, they’ll tell me, probably, I popped something in my calf, in my soleus, something. They’ll probably give me a protocol of four-to-six weeks that I’ll be out. This is from my experience being around the NBA.”

“At the end, I could not move no more, so I had to stop playing,” he added.

An MRI was scheduled for Saturday, and the Bucks have not released imaging results or an official timetable. But Antetokounmpo’s expectation — based on a similar injury last month — immediately reframed a season that was already teetering.

A narrow margin gets thinner

The loss dropped Milwaukee to 18–26, 11th in the Eastern Conference and outside even the play-in spots. The Bucks are 9–12 at home and have lost six of their last eight games. They went 2–6 in December when Antetokounmpo missed eight games with a strain to the same right calf and soleus.

Friday’s game underscored how thin the team’s margin has become. Denver arrived without two-time MVP Nikola Jokic and guard Jamal Murray, both out with recent leg injuries. The Nuggets still built an 86–63 lead early in the fourth quarter behind a season-high 20 points from Julian Strawther and support from Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jalen Pickett.

Milwaukee rallied with a 20–4 run sparked by reserve guard Ryan Rollins and Kuzma. Rollins hit consecutive 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 99–97 with 29.3 seconds remaining, then to 101–100 with 5.4 seconds left. Pickett split two free throws, and Kuzma’s running heave at the horn came up short.

Antetokounmpo finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists in 35 minutes, but he never looked fully comfortable. Television cameras showed his right calf heavily wrapped in the first half. After halftime, he often labored to change directions and get back on defense.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers said he noticed Antetokounmpo favoring the leg and ultimately chose to pull him, even as the star pushed to stay on the floor.

“I don’t think it looks great, personally,” Rivers said. “This calf keeps coming up and it’s concerning. I’m not a doctor, but I’m smart enough to know that his calf keeps bothering him. There’s something that is there and it keeps happening, and that’s troublesome for all of us.”

A recurring issue, and costly timing

The right calf has now interrupted Antetokounmpo’s season twice in seven weeks. On Dec. 3, he slipped in the paint early against the Detroit Pistons, grabbed at his lower leg and was later diagnosed with a right calf/soleus strain. He missed eight straight games before returning Dec. 28 against the Chicago Bulls.

That injury followed a left adductor strain in November that cost him four games. Last season, a left calf strain sidelined him for most of the Bucks’ first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers and forced him to miss the 2025 All-Star Game.

Antetokounmpo turned 31 on Dec. 6 and is in his 12th NBA season, all with Milwaukee. Before Friday, he was averaging roughly 28 points, 10 rebounds and more than five assists while shooting in the mid-60s from the field — again among the league’s most efficient high-usage players. His game, however, still leans heavily on explosive drives, repeated jumps and contact around the basket — movements that place particular stress on the calf and soleus.

The timing of another setback is especially damaging for Milwaukee. The Bucks sit several games back of the East’s final play-in positions, and the 2026 trade deadline is less than two weeks away.

The league’s 65-game minimum for major awards such as MVP and All-NBA also hangs over Antetokounmpo’s season. He has already missed eight games. Entering Friday, he had played 30. A four-to-six-week absence would likely cost him another 12 to 18 games, depending on diagnosis and recovery pace, leaving him short of the 65-game threshold.

It would also likely mark a second consecutive year in which a calf strain keeps him out of the All-Star Game. This season’s showcase is scheduled for Feb. 15 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, featuring a new USA vs. World format designed to highlight international stars. Early voting returns have consistently placed Antetokounmpo near the top of Eastern Conference fan balloting.

What it means for Milwaukee

Beyond awards, Milwaukee’s immediate competitive outlook is now in question.

The Bucks built their roster with the expectation of contending in the Eastern Conference behind Antetokounmpo, center Myles Turner, Kuzma and veteran forward Bobby Portis. When Antetokounmpo sat in December, the offense often stalled, and the defense — already inconsistent — struggled to stay organized. Their 2–6 record during his previous absence helped push them into their current 11th-place hole.

Rivers has maintained in recent weeks that the Bucks do not need sweeping personnel changes, pointing instead to health and lapses in focus. Another long stretch without their two-time MVP, however, could force a recalculation from the front office as the deadline approaches.

With limited future draft picks after previous win-now moves, the Bucks face difficult choices: pursue short-term help, stand pat and hope Antetokounmpo returns in time for a late run, or consider moving veterans for younger players and future assets while reorienting around their star for next season.

League-wide speculation about Antetokounmpo’s long-term future in Milwaukee has simmered as losses and injuries have piled up, though there has been no public indication from the player or team that a trade is being considered.

For now, both sides are waiting on one scan of one muscle in his right leg.

On Friday, Antetokounmpo sat on the bench and watched as his teammates tried to complete a comeback he helped start but could not finish. When it ended, he rose slowly and walked off the floor, his right leg wrapped and his stride measured. The Bucks’ next steps — and perhaps the shape of the rest of their season — will depend on how quickly, and how completely, he can make it back.