Bucks Miss Playoffs, Fire Rivers Amid Giannis Uncertainty

The Milwaukee Bucks concluded their 2025-26 NBA season with a 32-50 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference after a final loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. The disappointing campaign, marked by internal discord and injuries to star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, has left the franchise facing significant uncertainty heading into the offseason.

Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP and the 2021 NBA champion who has anchored the Bucks for over a decade, appeared in just 36 games, his lowest total in 13 seasons. He averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists when healthy but suffered a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise in mid-March, sidelining him for the remainder of the year. The team went 4-11 without him late in the season, contributing to their slide. Tensions arose when Antetokounmpo insisted he was ready to return but the front office and medical staff declined to clear him, prompting his public frustration. "Whoever came up with that is disrespectful towards what I've done for this team," he said in an interview. "This just shows me that not just me, players in general, don't have any control." The...