Playing on Christmas is an important and longstanding tradition for the NBA, and the Milwaukee Bucks have played consecutively for the past 6 years. Unfortunately, they were not one of the 10 teams invited to this year’s playoffs.
The whole team was very disappointed, especially their superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was outspoken on the matter. He found the decision strange given their popularity and speculated that the chosen teams were decided by an algorithm.
Antetokounmpo mentioned both his personal and team success, saying, “the votes came out last year. I was the No. 1. Dame was a starter. I was a starter. Dame won the MVP. Dame won the 3-point contest.” He then questioned the NBA’s decision, asking, “we don’t get a Christmas game. Why? … I think there’s an algorithm within the NBA that they choose which team will get the most attention, the most viewership that day.”
Fans were also unhappy with the NBA’s treatment of the Bucks, especially after their outstanding performance this year. They believed that what the NBA was doing was disrespectful, especially since playing on Christmas Day isn’t extremely exclusive.
However, while many were dissatisfied with the news at first, they soon began to look at the matter in a positive light.
Bobby Portis, another member of the Bucks, stated, “at first I was a little mad, but now it’s like Christmas is on the way, we got snow outside, so it’s fun.” Instead of focusing on the negatives, the team decided to be grateful for the chance to spend more time with their families.