Giannis Antetokounmpo knee injury, no structural damage: report

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo sustained a hyperextended left knee and is doubtful for Thursday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Fiserv Forum, the team announced Wednesday afternoon, June 30.

Antetokounmpo underwent an MRI and examination Wednesday, which confirmed the earlier diagnosis. He left Game 4 Tuesday night in the third quarter due to the injury.

The Bucks said in a news release that further updates will be provided as appropriate. A Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network doctor performed the examination.

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ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski had earlier reported that the two-time MVP sustained no structural damage to the knee, adding that a timetable for his return is unclear.

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Knee specialist on injury

The injury captured the attention of commentators, Bucks fans – and physicians.

FOX6 News spoke with a top orthopedic surgeon and knee specialist about how complex knee injuries can be, and how the doctors who worked on Antetokounmpo’s knee likely handled the situation.

"I sort of thought what other people thought, and that is I’ve seen a good number of significant injuries as a result of a hyperextension injury," said Dr. Mark Wichman, an orthopedic surgeon at Advocate Aurora Health.

"The whole question is…the hyperextended knee, what was injured? What was damaged?" Wichman, who has not seen or evaluated Antetokounmpo, continued. "It’s not inconceivable that he’s not done, and of course that’s why we’re praying for,"

The physical recovery may not be the only battle, the doctor explained.

 "Handling (athletes) psychologically is a big challenge. What I know about Giannis and what you know about Giannis is that he has his head almost always in the right place, so he’s going to think positive from the get-go," said Wichman.

Wichman could not give an exact timeline, but earlier said that if the injury was just a hyperextended knee would mean Antetokounmpo could likely get on the court sooner rather than later. Still, a timeline remains unclear.

Fans hopeful

After the Tuesday night injury, Bucks fans were concerned, but hopeful that Antetokounmpo can still play in the future – happy to hear the injury isn't worse.

Many fans had plenty to say the day after the injury and agreed it is still possible to win without the star player.

"When I first saw it, honestly, it didn’t look good. I was, kind of, afraid to look at it but when I finally looked at it, I was really worried," said fan Eric Blue, whose biggest concern is more about the next season than the next game. "I want him to be healthy for next year."

"We’re just praying, praying for him," said fan Reily Kingwill.

"You never really know with that sort of injury and hopefully he’s back. Hopefully, it’s nothing too bad," fan Michael Kennedy said.

Dustin Bowers was at the Brewers game when he saw Antetokounmpo go down.

"At the baseball field, everyone was hurt. You could just see it. Everyone got quiet at the field," Bowers said.

When the star player winced in pain and held onto his knee, a collective gasp came from fans watching in the Deer District on Tuesday night. Some held and rubbed their heads, others even covered their mouths.

Still, fans remain optimistic about the team.

"We’re still going to win the series," said fan Robert Swanigan.

"It’s our time to step up and win without our superstar, and we at home too. So, it’s going to be poppin' tomorrow night," Blue said.

In 15 playoff games, all starts, Antetokounmpo was averaging 28.2 points, 12.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.