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.

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?”

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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.

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.

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.

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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):

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!

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.

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.