The superstar big man suffered the ailment against the Toronto Raptors on Monday.

Jan 6, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) controls the ball as Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) defends during the third quarter at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images / Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Jan 6, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) controls the ball as Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes (4) defends during the third quarter at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Eight-time All-NBA Milwaukee Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered an ominous injury while trying to block a layup attempt from Toronto small forward RJ Barrett in the contest’s second quarter.

The 30-year-old caught his pinky on the rim of the Raptors’ basket and ultimately had to check out of the contest. His pinky had to be stitched up, and he eventually checked back in wearing a wrap around the finger. Antetokounmpo notched an 11-point, 12-rebound, 13-assist triple-double, reportedly the first ever in league history, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports.
When asked after the game about the finger, the two-time league MVP seemed to be in a relatively good mood.

“I feel great. I got some stitches in my finger. I told my wife. My wife’s still with me. She still likes me, so we won the game, good day,” Antetokounmpo said, employing a decidedly glass-half-full perspective.

When asked how he thinks the stitches could impact his play over at least the next few games as his finger recuperates, Antetokounmpo was quick to submit another joke.

“Yeah, I might not be able to make threes now. Oh my goodness,” Antetokounmpo said.

Antetokounmpo is, historically, a sub-par 3-point shooter. His most efficient season from long range was his rookie year, 2013-14, when he made 34.7 percent of his 1.5 triple tries a night. Since then, he’s only cleared 30 percent shooting from distance three times, and he hasn’t even done that since 2020-21. Across the last four seasons, the eight-time All-Star has been making a scant 28 percent of his 2.4 triple tries a night. This year, Antetokoumpo is connecting on 20 percent of his 0.7 long range looks per bout.

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo gets stitches for finger injury

For now, it appears unlikely that this finger ailment will cause Antetokounmpo to miss much time — if any.

On the season, Antetokounmpo appears to be making a concerted push for his third MVP award, which would mark his first such honor since 2020.

This year, the 6-foot-11 big man is averaging a league-most 31.6 points on 60.2 percent shooting from the field and 60.5 percent shooting from the foul line, 11.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 1.5 blocks and 0.8 steals a night across his 28 healthy contests. But the Bucks probably need to win more for Antetokounmpo to pick up that kind of hardware again.