Getty Giannis sits with the Bucks.
On Saturday night, Bucks star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo took an elbow to the head while fighting for a rebound and was placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol. He will not play tonight against the Toronto Raptors, and his status for Thursday’s game against the Celtics is up in the air.
Antetokounmpo was initially readmitted to the game after the bang-up, but made comments after the game that he may have blacked out and was having trouble remembering the game.
Giannis said he blacked out after taking elbow to head. Doesn’t remember much from game but said all tests for concussions were OK and he was allowed back out in fourth.
On Monday, Antetokounmpo reported lingering headaches and was therefore rightly sidelined for the matchup against the Raptors. The Bucks organization released an official statement regarding his condition:
Here is the official statement from @BucksPR on Antetokounmpo, if you’re interested in reading the whole thing in one picture:
The final paragraph of the statement explains:
“Antetokounmpo was evaluated again yesterday and reported new symptoms along with a lingering headache. For that reason, he was placed into the concussion protocol and will miss tonight’s game vs. Toronto.”
Since concussions by nature have no certain timeline for recovery, it’s hard to say when Giannis will be back on the floor. However, it’s been reported by ESPN that #34 “passed his neurological tests that created significant doubt that it was a concussion,” meaning his return will likely be sooner than later.
Safety First
According to the NBA’s concussion protocol:
“A player who is diagnosed with a concussion cannot return to any type of basketball activity that day or the day after. He must then pass a series of requirements, including being free of concussion-related symptoms while resting, an examination by a physician, completing the league’s rigorous return to participation exertion protocol, then being signed off on by the director of the NBA concussion program.”
Since Antetokounmpo reported headaches today, that understandably disqualifies him. But if come Thursday he is symptom-free, he’ll be able to play given he completes the league’s “return to participation exertion protocol,” which at that point will likely not be a problem.
All things considered, it’s likely we’ll see Giannis back on the court Thursday night.
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Injury Update: When Will Giannis Antetokounmpo Return?