Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo has exited the NBA's health and safety protocols ahead of the Christmas Day showdown against the Boston Celtics, according to ESPN's Zach Lowe and Adrian Wojnarowski. This doesn't necessarily mean The Greek Freak will play on Christmas, though, as the report states he will get on the court Friday and then determine if he'll play.

It would be easy to assume that Giannis will definitely play in this Christmas showcase now that he's out of protocols, but he'll have to make sure his conditioning is up to par. The Bucks star went into protocols on Dec 14.

*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*

Milwaukee has gone 3-2 without Antetokounmpo in the lineup over the last week and a half. The Bucks won their last game over the extremely shorthanded Dallas Mavericks, 102-95.

The defending NBA champions have rebounded well from a sluggish start to the season. Milwaukee is up to 21-13 on the season, which is good for second in the Eastern Conference behind the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls.

When he has been on the court, Giannis has put forth another MVP-caliber campaign so far. The Bucks star is averaging 27.0 points, 11.6 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.1 steals while shooting 52.9% from the field.

Meanwhile, the Celtics have been a disappointment so far in 2021-22, sitting at 16-16 on the season. Boston is dealing with a sizable COVID-19 outbreak, but All-Stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are set to play on Christmas. Let's hope Giannis indeed joins them after exiting protocols.