Giannis Antetokounmpo returns from knee injury to start 2021 NBA Finals

Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a brutal knee injury to start the 2021 NBA Finals just days after the Bucks’ Eastern Conference finals win over the Atlanta Hawks.

What happened to Giannis Antetokounmpo?

On July 1, 2021, Antetokounmpo’s left knee buckled during Game 5 against Atlanta. The injury left his knee swollen to twice its normal size. Medical staff warned a six-to-eight-week recovery was typical. But Antetokounmpo refused to accept that timeline.

He worked through pain with the Bucks’ performance team. A grueling 45-minute session days later convinced doctors he could play. The Bucks closed out the Hawks in six games. Antetokounmpo then suited up for the NBA Finals.

How Giannis Antetokounmpo convinced his teammates

Antetokounmpo begged his Bucks teammates to fight for him. “Guys, please, please, please, just give everything you have,” he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Just give me one chance to come back.”

He framed it as a once-in-a-lifetime chance. “The Finals can be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said. “And I’m going to do everything in my power to see if I can go if we have the opportunity to get there.”

Teammates answered his plea. Pat Connaughton, a former Buck, said Antetokounmpo calmed the locker room. “He did a really good job of, on an individual basis, kind of calming people down like, hey, it’s one day at a time.”

The secret workout that changed everything

While teammates practiced, Antetokounmpo worked off to the side. He teamed with Troy Flanagan, the Bucks’ director of sports performance, strength coach Suki Hobson, and physical therapist Brett Bousquet.

They tested what he could tolerate. The 45-minute session became the turning point. Doctors cleared him days later. Coach Mike Budenholzer later called it remarkable.

“He’s got a serious, legitimate knee injury that every ... the whole world saw it,” Budenholzer said. “It’s not like you’re making it up.”

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Finals legacy

Antetokounmpo suited up for Game 1 on July 6, 2021. He led Milwaukee to the title. His 50-point outburst in the series-clinching Game 6 remains one of the most iconic Finals performances ever.

The Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns in six games. Antetokounmpo earned Finals MVP. His return from injury became the stuff of legend.