Woj: Giannis 'In Some Pain' After Wrist Injury, Wants to Play in NBA All-Star Game

Giannis Antetokounmpo isn't ruling himself out of Sunday's NBA All-Star Game just yet.

The Milwaukee Bucks star, who is set to serve as a captain against LeBron James, is reportedly determined to play despite suffering a wrist injury Thursday against the Chicago Bulls.

"He's in some pain," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Friday on NBA Today. "This was a painful injury. He wants to play in that All-Star Game on Sunday. It is important to him, as a captain and as somebody who takes that responsibility really seriously."

Antetokounmpo was injured in the second quarter of Thursday's game when attempting to block a layup by Bulls guard Coby White. He did not return, finishing with two points, seven rebounds and three assists in nine minutes.

X-rays on the wrist came back negative, so it may be a matter of pain tolerance in deciding whether Antetokounmpo will play.

"I think the initial reports were hopeful," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters. "The X-ray was clean and he's got a sprain. We'll just, I think, see how he feels tomorrow, see how he feels the next few days and continue to evaluate it."

As much as Antetokounmpo wants to play, the Bucks may prefer he sit out and take the full All-Star break to recover. Antetokounmpo is set to be in Salt Lake City all weekend, first serving as the head coach for a team in the Rising Stars Challenge on Friday before serving as a captain in the All-Star Game.

This could mark the third straight year the Eastern Conference captain has been unable to play in the game. Kevin Durant, the captain for the previous two seasons, was forced to sit out of the game because of injuries.