Giannis Antetokounmpo reflects on his tough season.
2025-26 was arguably the toughest season in the 13-year career of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Giannis played a career low 36 games, battling hamstring and knee injuries throughout the season. He missed at least one game in every month of the season, and played in just six of the final 37 games.
"It’s part of it. It’s basketball. Obviously, for the first time in my career, not being available for 40 games … it never happened to me. It was definitely tough," Giannis told the New York Times, reiterating that he understands it's basketball.
Giannis had never played fewer than 61 games in an NBA season.
Responding To Adversity
Giannis said that he understands you're going to have a down year and an up year, but it's about how you respond to things.
"You can fall down, crumble, whine about it and cry about it, but that’s not who I am. I’m never gonna do that," he said.
He said that he's going to put his head down, get better, work out, dive deep into his craft and what he wasn't to achieve.
"For the first time in my career, to have a summer from January until October, I’ve never had that in my life," he said.
Since he's never had that luxury in his career, he plans on taking advantage of it to try things that he hasn't been able to try.
Giannis has continued to expand his game as he gets older, unlocking more of a midrange game to complement his forcefulness in the paint.
A Trying Year
Giannis finished the season averaging 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. The points were the lowest of his career since 2017-18, the rebounds were the lowest since 2016-17, and the assists were the lowest since 2017-18.
Perhaps the most troubling number was his 16.6 field goal attempts per game, his lowest total since 2016-17. Giannis didn't have the reliable secondary creator like Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday that he's been used to over the years, and his own game suffered as a result.
Along with his troubles staying on the court due to injuries, trade rumors swirled off the court and his relationship with management became more fractured as the season went on.
The final straw between Giannis and management came in the final weeks when Giannis claimed he was healthy enough to play in the final games, but was held out of the lineup.