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What do readers think about Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo playing for the Greek national team this summer?

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What do readers think about Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo playing for the Greek national team this summer?


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In early July, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to be back on the court for the first time since suffering a left soleus (calf) strain on April 9 that ended his season. Antetokounmpo will suit up for the Greek national team during an Olympic qualifying tournament July 2-7, and should it advance will earn a spot in the Olympic Games for the first time since 2008.

He did not play for Greece in the 2023 World Cup as he underwent left knee surgery. Antetokounmpo played 73 games for the Bucks last season – his most since 2017-18 – and was the first player in NBA history to score at least 30 points per game while shooting at least 60% from the floor.

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The 29-year-old missed the Bucks entire six-game playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers with the muscle strain. He missed two of the Bucks’ five games in a 2023 first-round playoff loss to Miami when he injured his back after being undercut by Heat forward Kevin Love after just 10 minutes of action in Game 1. He also suffered injuries in the 2020 and 2021 playoffs.

The Journal Sentinel recently ran a poll simply asking fans “should Giannis play for the Greek national team this summer?”

More: How Giannis Antetokounmpo learned to get over himself to play the best basketball of his career

Bucks fans react to Giannis playing for Greece

Of the Bucks fans weighing in on the poll, 62.8% said he should not play for Greek team this summer.

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Why Giannis should play for Greece

Here is a sampling of some of the comments that came with “yes” votes (answers lightly edited for clarity):

Tony: Many NBA players are doing the same.

Mike B: He should be able to represent his country.

Mary S.: The US players are playing for their country.

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Rich W.: It’s hard to believe you’re even asking this question. Giannis’ love of playing for his country is well documented. He has earned the right to make this decision without being questioned by Bucks fans, and it’s the worst sort of greed and entitlement to suggest he ignore the call of his national team.

Bill: He’s a professional basketball player at the peak of his powers. If the doctors clear him, it’s totally his decision.

Alex: Nationalism is a great thing. This is the prime of his career and he will have limited opportunities. Go Giannis!GP: Giannis needs to get back into basketball shape. Playing for the Greek national team can help facilitate that. His body should not be as tired since he did not play as much as in other years. He should probably be on minutes restrictions.

More: Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo named first-team all-NBA to cap historic season

Why Giannis should not play for Greece

Here is a sampling of some of the comments that came with “no” votes (answers lightly edited for clarity):

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Jeremy: He missed all of this year’s playoffs and most of last year’s. Greece will not win anything special and he’s risking injury for all of this.

Jim C.: If he can’t make it to the playoffs because he is injured and tired, why risk it.

Mark B.: If he wasn’t often injured, fine, but the Bucks need Giannis healthy for a full season.

Bubba: The obvious. He was unable to make it through the last full NBA season. He should rest his body so he can actually contribute to the Bucks playoff run … which is what he gets paid for.

Peter: He wore down this season, international bb will leave G with no real off-season!

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Tom: He’s paid to play for the Bucks and let’s face it, if he isn’t going to be healthy in the playoffs then what good is he to the team?!

Steve: He is always getting hurt. He doesn’t seem to realize that his body is starting to break down. He says he wants to stay healthy but yet he decides to put more stress on what is going to be a fragile body. Very ill-advised to go and play. Beginning to think that he really doesn’t care about the NBA. Seems like his heart is in Greece. He is not long to be in Milwaukee and a Buck. Getting tired of his antics.

What is Giannis’ history playing for Greece?

Antetokounmpo first played for Greece in the 2014 World Cup, in which it took ninth place. He then played in the 2015 EuroBasket tournament, the 2019 World Cup and 2022 EuroBasket.

In the 2014-15 Bucks season, Antetokounmpo started 71 of 81 games and finished seventh in the Most Improved Player voting after averaging 12.7 points per game. The Bucks lost in the first round of the playoffs in six games to Chicago.

In the pandemic-affected 2019-20 season, Antetokounmpo won his second MVP while also winning the defensive player of the year award, becoming just the third player to win both in a single season. He sprained an ankle in the “bubble” playoffs vs. Miami, however, and the Bucks were bounced in the second round.

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In the 2022-23 campaign, Antetokounmpo finished the year averaging a career-high 31.1 points per game in leading the Bucks to the top-seed in the Eastern Conference. But after taking a hard fall in Game 1 of the first-round playoff series with Miami, the Bucks lost to the Heat in five games as Antetokounmpo missed Games 2 and 3.



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Milwaukee, WI

Storms expected bring heavy rain to Milwaukee this weekend, severe weather possible

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Storms expected bring heavy rain to Milwaukee this weekend, severe weather possible


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Milwaukee’s weekend revelers should plan to pack an umbrella, that’s because the latest forecast from the National Weather Service shows a potential for severe weather and heavy rains on Friday and Saturday.

The latest projections from the NWS show scattered thunderstorms are expected to occur as a warm front from the south travels north through the state on Friday. Friday’s potential for severe weather, while low, could bring damaging wind, small hail and heavy rains.

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“For downtown Milwaukee, we are looking at the potential for isolated thunderstorms and showers through the afternoon hours.,” said Michaela Heeren, a meteorologist at the local NWS office in Sullivan. “Going into the evening, that’s going to bring the potential for the (severe weather.)”

The peak of the storms are expected to occur in the late afternoon to early evening, between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. and the storms are forecast to end by 9 p.m., according to the NWS.

Heeren said that Milwaukee is forecast for up to an inch of rain on Friday, with rates potentially reaching one inch per hour if conditions are met.

The NWS rates Milwaukee and other parts of southeastern and eastern Milwaukee as rated at a one-out-of-five chance for severe weather. To the west, in central and western Wisconsin, the NWS forecasts a two-out-of-five chance.

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There is uncertainty with how powerful the storms will develop, because of the lack of instability in the environment, Heeren said.

“Our environment is a little bit weaker than what we prefer for a typical severe set up, we don’t have a lot of ingredients to keep storms alive long enough to produce significant severe weather,” she said.

On Saturday, the NWS forecasts another round of potential severe weather that will bring even more rain.

That system is forming behind a cold weather front traveling southeast across the state and brings a one out of five risk for severe weather to Milwaukee.

However, the rest of the state will be in a two out of five rating, with Heeren describing it was “more traditional” severe weather conditions. Saturday’s conditions will bring a chance of damaging wind, large hail, heavy rain and a small chance of tornadoes.

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Through Saturday, the NWS forecasts up to 1.5 inches of rain for Milwaukee.



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Milwaukee, WI

Pursuit of Milwaukee carjacking suspects ends with police shooting 2 teens in stolen vehicle

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Pursuit of Milwaukee carjacking suspects ends with police shooting 2 teens in stolen vehicle


A police pursuit of carjacking suspects in Milwaukee ended with police firing into the vehicle, injuring two teens, one of whom was pregnant and lost her baby

MILWAUKEE — A police pursuit of carjacking suspects in Milwaukee ended Thursday with police firing into the vehicle and injuring two teens, one of whom was pregnant and lost her baby, Milwaukee police said.

Officers tried to stop the stolen vehicle just before 2:30 p.m. on Interstate 43 north of Milwaukee. The pursuit ended when the driver moved into a construction lane and the vehicle was blocked by construction work and a cement truck, Police Chief Jeffrey B. Norman said.

Police officers ordered the driver to stop and ordered the passengers out of the vehicle, but the driver twice backed into a marked SWAT car, once while an officer was standing behind it. Another officer fired shots into the vehicle, injuring an 18-year-old woman and a 17-year-old boy, Norman said.

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The woman suffered life-threatening injuries and “unfortunately, the baby did not survive,” Norman said at a news conference.

The 17-year-old has serious injuries, he said.

A total of six suspects were in the vehicle, which had been stolen, Norman said. The other four, who range in age from 15 to 18, were taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

The officer involved is a 25-year-old man with over four years of service. He was placed on administrative duty, which is routine in an officer involved shooting, Norman said.

The suspects were being pursued in connection with an armed robbery and carjacking and an attempted armed robbery and carjacking. A gun was found in the vehicle, Norman said.

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Milwaukee, WI

Biden campaign: Milwaukee Democratic leaders slam Trump for trashing Wisconsin’s most diverse city

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Biden campaign: Milwaukee Democratic leaders slam Trump for trashing Wisconsin’s most diverse city


Today, State Representative Kalan Haywood and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley held a press conference slamming Donald Trump for insulting Milwaukee and highlighting the RNC’s abandoned outreach to minority communities. The press conference was held at a local brewery that is now selling their “(not so) Horrible City” IPA after Trump disparaged Milwaukee.

The press conference follows reports that Donald Trump called Milwaukee “horrible” in a closed-door meeting last week and then planned to avoid spending time in Wisconsin’s most diverse city by staying at Trump Tower in Chicago during the Republican National Convention.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley speaking at the press conference

State Representative Kalan Haywood speaking at the press conference

“Here’s the truth: Donald Trump looks down on Milwaukee, on Wisconsin, on anyone who isn’t one of his billionaire donors. If he bothered to come to Milwaukee and actually listen to or respect voters here, he’d learn that we are fed up with his efforts to strip away reproductive rights from women, to raise health care costs for working families, to cut the Social Security and Medicare our moms and dads rely on,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “President Biden would never disparage this city. He loves us, he respects us, and more than that, he’s a decent man. A person of character, who wants to be a president for all Americans – including Wisconsinites. So, to Trump, I say, ‘You think our city is so horrible? This November, we’re going to send you packing – just like we did in 2020.’”

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“Our Black and Latino communities are what make us strong – and this November, it will be us who decide the presidential election here in Wisconsin, and likely in the country as a whole. So, when Trump called our city ‘horrible’ in a closed-door meeting with MAGA Republicans last week, we knew what that was. Yet another racist dog whistle,” said State Representative Kalan Haywood. “Trump ignoring our communities was already insulting – and then he went and actually insulted our city. I’ll be voting for President Biden, and I know I’m not the only one who’s fed up with Trump’s racist attacks.”

“When I heard about Donald Trump calling my city ‘horrible’ last week, I was not just surprised, but truly shocked and angered by this. It’s enough that he is so terrible on all the issues that matter to me – protecting Social Security and Medicare, creating good jobs and strengthening the economy, safeguarding our democracy. But to also disrespect us? It’s just adding insult to injury,” said Sabrina Jordan, Biden-Harris 2024 volunteer. “I think he fears the coalition we formed in 2020 – the one that roundly rejected him and is the reason he lost that year. He recognizes the strength of the city he dismisses as ‘horrible,’ and is deeply afraid of it.”

While Trump tries to get away with spending as little time as possible in Wisconsin, the Biden-Harris campaign, Democrats, and the DNC are building the infrastructure to win with over 100 staff on the ground and 47 coordinated campaign offices across the state. Unlike Trump, Team Biden-Harris loves Milwaukee – for the first time in 20 years, the Democratic Coordinated HQ is based in Milwaukee, underscoring the importance of key constituencies in the city, including minority voters.

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