Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo wasted no time in announcing his return from a calf strain, as they hosted the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum on Monday.
Antetokounmpo missed 15 straight games due to his calf injury, leaving the Bucks without their go-to guy amid what has already been a turbulent campaign.
Less than two minutes into the game against the Celtics, Antetokounmpo scored on a layup to get his first bucket in his return. He went downhill and attacked the defense of Nikola Vucevic, who looked hapless against the two-time MVP.
Giannis wasting no time scoring his first points back from injury 🙌pic.twitter.com/zbKMB9otOB
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 3, 2026
The 31-year-old Antetokounmpo has struggled to stay healthy this season. A calf strain also derailed him in December. Overall, he has missed a career-high 29 games. Milwaukee is 11-18 without him.
He also had to deal with the mental exhaustion of the entire drama surrounding his future with the Bucks. Many believed that he would be dealt at the trade deadline, with the one-time champion stating that he is ready to move on. But alas, nothing came to fruition.
Antetokounmpo has often talked about focusing on helping the Bucks rather than on the outside noise, and he has a lot of work to do if he wants them to squeeze into the playoffs.
Milwaukee has not been to the NBA Finals since Antetokounmpo led them to the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 2021, ending the team's 50-year drought.
As of writing, they are trailing the Celtics by a big margin in the second quarter. Antetokounmpo has nine points and six rebounds.
The Bucks are looking to end a two-game skid.
