Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo recently had surgery to clean up loose cartilage in his left knee, Greece’s Gazzetta reports. The Athletic’s Shams Charania confirmed the report.
Per Gazzetta, Antetokounmpo made the decision alongside the Bucks to travel to New York from his native Greece to have the arthroscopic procedure roughly two weeks ago. The two-time NBA MVP returned to Greece in the days after the procedure.
The surgery leaves Antetokounmpo’s status for the upcoming FIBA World Cup in doubt. Antetokounmpo was slated to play for Greece in the event that tips off Aug. 25 in the Philippines. Bucks general manager Jon Horst released a statement to The Athletic addressing Antetokounmpo’s availability to play for Greece.
“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,” Horst said. “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.”
Barring a setback, the procedure isn’t likely to impact Antetokounmpo’s availability for next NBA season, which tips off in October.
Antetokounmpo, 28, averaged a career-high 31.1 points alongside 11.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.8 assists and 0.8 steals in 63 games last season. He sustained a back injury in the playoffs that forced him to miss 2 1/2 games of Milwaukee’s upset playoff loss to the Miami Heat in the first round. Bucks training camp starts in September.
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