NBA Finals 2021: Milwaukee Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo is out for Game 5 due to league health and safety protocols

Kyle Irving

NBA Finals 2021: Milwaukee Bucks forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo is out for Game 5 due to league health and safety protocols image

In the injury report, the Milwaukee Bucks revealed that forward Thanasis Antetokounmpo is ruled out for Game 5 of the NBA Finals due to the league's health and safety protocols.


The news comes as a shock, since Antetokounmpo has been available in every game to this point. The brother of Finals superstar Giannis, Thanasis has played a minor role off the bench for the Bucks during their playoff run. He has only appeared in one Finals game so far, playing just under two minutes in the Bucks' Game 4 blowout victory.

Milwaukee is preparing for a pivotal Game 5 matchup against the Phoenix Suns with the series tied at two games apiece. The home team has won every game of this series thus far, with Game 5 shifting back to Phoenix before heading back to Milwaukee for Game 6.

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Entering the league's health and safety protocols does not necessarily mean Thanasis has contracted the coronavirus – it could also mean that he came within close contact of someone who tested positive for the virus.

It's worth monitoring the situation moving forward, so keep it locked in with NBA.com as more updates become available.

Game 5 is set to take place at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 17.

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Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.