Milwaukee Bucks all-star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo will reportedly miss Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday.
The Athletic's Shams Charania reports Antetokounmpo has officially been ruled out due to a left knee hyperextension after initially being listed as doubtful for the Bucks' next game against the Atlanta Hawks.
The 2019-20 NBA MVP injured his left knee following an awkward landing during the third quarter of Milwaukee's 110-88 loss to the Hawks in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which tied the series at 2-2.
Antetokounmpo was initially reported to have hyperextended his left knee while contesting a Clint Capela dunk after leading the Bucks on a run to briefly cut their 13-point halftime deficit to 10, Yahoo Sports reported on Wednesday.
Sports Illustrated's Farbod Esnaashari reported individuals within the Bucks organization feared Antetokounmpo may have experienced "a severe ACL injury," prior to confirmation that there was no structural damage to his left knee.
The Hawks were also without their franchise player on Tuesday (June 29) as point guard Trae Young was ruled out for Game 4 due to a bone bruise in his right foot, which occurred when he took a step backward, landed on a referee's foot and came down awkwardly in Game 3.
Several of the NBA all-stars have experienced injuries throughout the postseason, which gained the criticism of the league's biggest star, LeBron James, earlier this month.
James shared a Twitter thread on the league's handling of the shortened offseason between the NBA Bubble and shortened 2020-21 season, which began just over two months later.
James' Twitter rant came hours after reports of Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard being ruled out indefinitely for Game 5 of the Clippers' Western Conference semifinals series against the Utah Jazz on June 16 night due to a knee injury, the Athletic's Shams Charania reported.
Charania also reported Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul's status for the Western Conference Finals was "up in the air" after entering the COVID-19 health and safety protocols following a positive test which, "depending on an isolation period could be shorter for a vaccinated individual."
Paul has since returned to action, while Leonard remains inactive for the Clippers' and Suns' ongoing Western Conference Finals series.
Brooklyn Nets stars James Harden and Kyrie Irving also experienced injuries during the team's Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Bucks, which resulted in elimination.
Harden experienced a hamstring injury during the opening minute of Game 1 before returning for Game 5 and being limited to just five points in a 114-108 win against the Bucks on June 15.
Irving was inactive after experiencing a right ankle sprain in a 107-96 loss at Milwaukee on June 13.
Additionally, James' teammate, Anthony Davis, experienced a groin injury in Game 4 of the Lakers' first-round series against the Suns, which forced Davis to miss Game 5.
Davis returned for Game 6 and played five minutes before re-injuring his groin and exiting the Lakers' series elimination loss.
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