Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo: Feel like I’m ready to play again

Giannis Antetokounmpo says he’s ready. The checklist is the only thing in the way.

Speaking Saturday at All-Star Weekend, the Bucks star said his right calf feels fully healed after sidelining him since Jan. 23.

“I feel good. I feel 100 percent, to be honest with you,” Antetokounmpo said. “When you come back from an injury and you go through the rehab, you gotta check the boxes, right?

“I feel like the break doesn’t help, because now I gotta get on the court, play some one-on-one, three-on-three, five-on-five. Players are on vacation right now, so it’s kinda hard to do that.

“But once I check all those boxes, I’m ready to go. I feel like I can play a game today.”

Bucks coach Doc Rivers recently said Antetokounmpo is close, though the calf has been a recurring issue. Giannis missed eight games in December with a right soleus strain, then re-aggravated the calf in a Jan. 23 loss to Denver, costing him nine more games.

Antetokounmpo was named to his 10th straight All-Star Game but will not play Sunday. De’Aaron Fox was selected as his replacement.

The missed time also carries postseason consequences. Antetokounmpo will be ineligible for major awards, ending a run of nine straight All-NBA selections, including seven first-team nods.

Milwaukee and its franchise cornerstone are expected to revisit long-term discussions in the offseason, after no deal materialized before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.