Bucks Star Giannis Antetokounmpo Replaced in All-Star Game Following Calf Injury

The Milwaukee Bucks have been playing mediocre basketball of late, and things just got worse for them this week.

On Sunday, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is expected to be sidelined through the next week due to a mild calf strain.

Because Antetokounmpo won't be healthy for the upcoming NBA All-Star game in San Francisco, Atlanta Hawks star guard Trae Young will replace him.

Atlanta's Trae Young has replaced Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2025 NBA All-Star Game.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 10, 2025

Commissioner Adam Silver announced Monday that he has added Young to the All-Star roster as an injury replacement for Antetokounmpo.

Antetokounmpo is still named an All-Star, and it was his ninth time being named one.

Young's selection is his fourth All-Star selection of his seven-year career. He is averaging 23.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and a league-high 11.4 assists for the Hawks this season.

The Hawks star was originally displeased when he was not picked to be on the team.

The 26-year-old will replace Antetokounmpo on Team Chuck, the right-man squad that he drafted last week by NBA Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley.

Antetokounmpo was drafted fourth of the 24 players drafted by Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kenny Smith to the All-Star rosters.

Young will join the likes of Denver's Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama, Indiana's Pascal Siakam, Houston's Alperen Sengun, New York's Karl-Anthony Towns and Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell.

This is the second consecutive season that Young was added to the roster as an injury replacement. Young has made the All-Star game four times in the last five seasons.

While Young will replace Antetokounmpo, the worry for the Bucks is about the health of their foreign superstar.

Antetokounmpo has struggled to stay healthy in the past three seasons, especially when it comes to the postseason. He's been limited or missed the time when the games matter most.

The Bucks don't want to rush their superstar back, as this calf strain could keep the team from reaching its full potential if he returns before he is 100 percent healthy.

It is not ideal that the Bucks will be without him for an extended period of time, but the focus is clearly on getting him healthy for the playoffs.

As things stand, the Bucks are in a solid position. They are the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference and eight games below the second-seed Celtics.

More Bucks: Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miss Significant Time Due to Lingering Injury

Bucks' Doc Rivers Provides Injury Return Timeline for Giannis Antetokounmpo

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