NFL legends Shannon Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson have accused Giannis Antetokounmpo of faking his calf injury to fast-track his inevitable exit from the Milwaukee Bucks.
On the “Nightcap” podcast, the retired football stars felt that Antetokounmpo deleted all Bucks-related content on social media to send a message to the franchise, and that he faked the severity of his injury on Wednesday.
“That ain’t no injury,” Johnson said.
Sharpe saw the red flags when the Bucks’ training staff didn’t attend to Antetokounmpo after he went down with a non-contact injury.
“Let me ask you this: you go down like that, and the training staff don’t come over [to help you]. Your teammates come help you up,” said the Denver Broncos legend.
When NBA legend Joe Johnson strongly opposed the accusations of his co-hosts, Ocho doubled down on his conspiracy theory.
“Can I tell you what that was, Joe? ‘I don’t wanna risk injuring myself and lessen my trade value, so I’m gonna go down down and pretend to have a non-contact injury, until they get this trade in place.’”
Giannis’ Character Questioned
Shannon Sharpe added that he’s always respected Giannis Antetokounmpo for his loyalty to the Bucks, but his recent social media actions have given him cause to pause.
“They said it’s a calf strain, and that’s what we gotta go by,” he said. “But sometimes, guys wanna get out of a situation.
“I do agree that Giannis doesn’t take me for that type of a guy [who’d fake an injury], but he also didn’t take me for a guy who wanted to be moved during the season.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo Injury Update
It’s worth noting that, since Sharpe and Johnson’s outlandish claims, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the “Greek Freak” is expected to be sidelined for two to four weeks with a right calf strain. As such, their claims were obviously false.
There were initially severe concerns that Antetokounmpo had endured an Achilles injury, given the non-contact nature of his injury on Wednesday. However, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers confirmed that his best player avoided a devastating injury after a preliminary MRI on Wednesday night.
Amazingly, Sharpe and Johnson made their claims even after Rivers’ comments.
Antetokounmpo injured his calf less than 24 hours after reports claimed that he and his representation were in “active talks” with the Bucks to discuss his future.
“Giannis Antetokounmpo and his agent, Alex Saratsis, are having conversations with the Milwaukee Bucks about the two-time NBA MVP’s future — and discussing whether his best fit is staying or a move elsewhere, sources told ESPN on Wednesday,” Charania wrote in a bombshell report on Wednesday.
“A resolution to these talks is expected in the coming weeks, sources said, which will shape whether Antetokounmpo is available ahead of the Feb. 5 trade deadline.”
Since more than half the league will become trade-eligible on Dec. 15, insiders feel the Bucks could officially begin discussions with interested suitors in the coming days. Per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, teams are already lining up their offers for the two-time MVP.
The Knicks are the betting favorites to land the 2021 NBA Finals MVP.
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