Giannis, Other Bucks Initially Felt Disrespected About Not Having NBA Christmas Game

Giannis Antetokounmpo and some of his Milwaukee Bucks teammates weren't thrilled to learn they have Christmas Day off this year.

Antetokounmpo told The Athletic's Eric Nehm he was initially "pissed" about the Bucks' omission from Wednesday's slate, since the holiday serves as a showcase for the NBA's best teams and biggest stars.

It didn't take too long for the two-time MVP to see the bigger picture, though, since he'll now have all of Christmas Day to spend with his family.

"Like, you don't take it for granted because like, LeBron (James) plays, Steph (Curry) plays, all of these big-time players play in Christmas games all the time in their career and they miss valuable moments," he said. "Like, we miss so much valuable moments from our lives and I'm a person that I try to not take things for granted. And if this is how it should be, this is how it should be."

His frustration at first was shared by other Bucks players.

Big man Brook Lopez called it "disrespectful," while forward Bobby Portis said it was "disappointing. That's the same wording three-time All-Star Khris Middleton used, though he, like, Giannis came around to see it as a positive.

"We always want to play on Christmas. It's the biggest day in the NBA besides the playoffs and the Finals and whatnot," Middleton said. "But I have a family now and kids, so now I can have a chance to open gifts without having to work the same day, so I'm definitely happy about that. But hopefully we won't have too many more Christmases where we don't play again."

The Bucks were coming off a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Indiana Pacers when the NBA made its 2024-25 schedule. Despite boasting Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Damian Lillard, Milwaukee faced questions over whether it could seriously challenge for a title.

Those concerns haven't gone away despite the franchise lifting the NBA Cup.

At 15-12, the Bucks are fifth in the Eastern Conference and nine games behind the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers.

Should their NBA Cup run be a sign of what's to come, though, a deep postseason run might unfold down the road, and in that case, Milwaukee will have a pretty good idea of its plans on Christmas Day 2025.