Giannis Antetokounmpo Calls Himself “Stubborn”, Reflects On How His Recovery Methods Have Changed With Age

It wasn’t the happiest return to NBA action for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but it was a return nonetheless. Giannis played against the Boston Celtics on Monday night, his first game since January 23 when he suffered a right calf strain. And the Bucks lost 81-108.

Giannis played just 25 minutes because he is under a minutes restriction, and put up 19 points. That made him the highest scorer on his team. The Bucks, who are 26-34, remain three games behind the No. 10 position (the last play-in spot) in the East.

Evidently, the Greek Freak is still far from his best, but he could still play a big role in turning the Bucks’ season around. However, that doesn’t mean he will rush himself back. It’s also why he took his time before getting back on the court, something he admittedly wouldn’t have done a few years ago.

“I’m just stubborn… I just gotta be smarter. I’m not old, but I’m older for sure. When you deal with a lot of soft tissue injuries, it’s hard. I feel like I’ve been playing the whole year with like a deficit,” the 31-year-old said after the Celtics game.

Giannis on handling his injuries: “I’m just stubborn…I just gotta be smarter. I’m not old but I’m older for sure. When you deal with a lot of soft tissue injuries it’s hard. I feel like I’ve been playing the whole year with like a deficit” pic.twitter.com/ZnBlzi4IyN

— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) March 3, 2026

Giannis has accepted the fact that he’s not a young phenom anymore. He’s still in his prime, though, when it comes to abilities. But recovering from injuries cannot be quick.

In the past, Giannis would cut down on the timeframe given by doctors and return with force. That’s something he cannot risk anymore.

“I’m 31 years old, just gotta be able to be more smarter moving forward because things that I was able to do in the past, maybe I’m not able to do now,” the Greek Freak said.

“And I’ve just gotta be more methodical with my rehab, the way I take care of my body, the way that I play. But yeah, that’s pretty much it. Moving forward, I just gotta be smarter,” he added.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, on taking nearly the full six weeks for him to return from this right calf strain: pic.twitter.com/9QL3fC7nC5

— Eric Nehm (@eric_nehm) March 3, 2026

The Bucks also wouldn’t want to not have Giannis for too long. The last one-and-a-half months have been difficult. Although they came into the Celtics game having won eight of their last 10 games, the victories were mostly against teams that were tanking.