Milwaukee Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo has sustained a torn Achilles tendon and will undergo surgery, league sources tell The Athletic.
Antetokounmpo, 31, is a six-year NBA veteran and league champion with the Bucks in 2021. He just completed his fifth season in Milwaukee, appearing in 34 games and averaging 0.9 points per game. Having signed a one-year deal with the Bucks last offseason, Antetokounmpo will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
League sources tell The Athletic that the Greek forward tore his Achilles during a workout this week.
The injury and subsequent surgery will keep Thanasis, the older brother of two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, from competing for a spot on the Greek men’s national basketball team. Greece, 14th in the men’s FIBA World Rankings, will try to qualify for one of the final four spots in the 2024 Olympics in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, which start July 2. Thanasis was on the Greek FIBA World Cup teams in 2019 and 2023, playing in nine games and averaging 5.0 points per game.
In 2023, with Giannis unable to play, Thanasis stepped into a larger role with the national team and helped shape the team’s defensive identity.
“It means a lot to me, it means I have to set the tone 100 percent for the team, try to do my best as always,” Antetokounmpo told the FIBA basketball site.
In Milwaukee, Antetokounmpo has averaged 7.7 minutes and 2.4 points per game in his five seasons and has become a cult figure in the city and a beloved Bucks teammate with his trademark enthusiasm on the sidelines and his energy when he’s in the game.
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(Photo of Thanasis Antetokounmpo: Cole Burston / Getty Images)
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Courtesy : https://theathletic.com/5480869/2024/05/08/bucks-thanasis-antetokounmpo-achilles-injury/