NBA denies claim of conspiracy to keep Giannis out of EuroBasket
A conspiracy theory from the Greek basketball federation accusing Giannis Antetokounmpo's employers of intentionally trying to keep him out of the EuroBasket tournament is completely untrue, says the NBA.
"The NBA and the Milwaukee Bucks have followed all appropriate protocol under the NBA-FIBA agreement. Giannis has an injury that has been confirmed through multiple examinations and any suggestion to the contrary is false," the league said in an official statement.
The 2017 NBA Most Improved Player announced on his Facebook account Saturday that he would be unable to participate due to a bad knee, calling it "by far the biggest disappointment in my career."
The GBF then responded by pointing the finger at the NBA and Bucks, believing that Antetokounmpo isn't hurt at all.
"The simultaneous briefing by the manager of the Milwaukee Bucks and by Giannis Antetokounmpo himself via phone and social media from distant China — and not in the proper formal form — for his inability to play for the Greek national team, brought us sadness due to this great loss, but unfortunately it does not surprise us," said the federation in a statement, according to The Journal Sentinel's Matt Velazquez.
"A series of clues by which we were particularly worried about since Giannis arrived in Greece and the national team training camp started, had created the conviction of an organized and well-staged plan by the NBA franchise in which Giannis has signed. Everything was in full knowledge of the NBA, if not encouraged by the NBA, and the athlete was put in a very difficult place and ultimately was obliged today to inform that he can’t be a member of the national team."
Antetokounmpo is set to begin his four-year, $100-million extension with Milwaukee that he signed back in September.