The Giannis Antetokounmpo saga in Milwaukee has taken another turn, and this time Doc Rivers is calling out the reporting around it. With tensions already building over Giannis’ injury and availability, the Bucks head coach publicly pushed back on recent coverage from Shams Charania, making it clear he believes parts of the narrative have been misrepresented.

Speaking on the “Run It Back” podcast, Rivers addressed both the recent locker room report and the earlier trade deadline narrative, calling out Shams Charania’s coverage as inaccurate. “We have a great relationship. Shams wrote an article that was so inaccurate that I don’t have the time to go into it,” Rivers said. He specifically pushed back on the portrayal of locker room tension, adding, “He talked about a locker room thing and I was laughing like, ‘Yeah, we had a tough locker room day.’ That’s what happens in a locker room after a loss. I showed clips the next day of guys who were messing up.” Rivers then took a direct shot at the reporting, saying, “The first thing I thought? Where’s Woj? I miss Woj so much.”

Rivers’ frustration stems from multiple reports tied to Charania, including trade deadline coverage that suggested Giannis could be open to a move and more recent reporting around locker room dynamics. The latest report detailed internal tension following losses and meetings between coaches and players, which Rivers dismissed as normal NBA behavior rather than something indicative of a fractured team environment.

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At the center of all of this is Giannis’ injury situation. He suffered a knee hyperextension and bone bruise in mid-March and has missed multiple games since, while publicly insisting he is ready to return. The Bucks, however, have continued to hold him out based on medical evaluations. That disagreement has drawn league-wide attention, including an ongoing NBA review into his availability, further intensifying the spotlight on the organization.

Rivers has found himself in the middle of both the on-court situation and the media narrative, and one moment that especially stood out to him was how a lighthearted joke during All-Star weekend was taken the wrong way.

Doc Rivers Revisits All-Star Joke That Sparked Tension With Shams Charania

During the trade deadline, there was a lot of buzz around the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo, with multiple reports linking him to potential moves. Charania’s reporting on ESPN added fuel to that speculation, which did not sit well with Giannis, the organization, or Rivers.

After the Bucks held on to Giannis through the deadline, Rivers took a playful jab during All-Star weekend when it was revealed that Charania would participate in the Celebrity Game under Giannis’ team. During a press conference, Rivers joked that Giannis should “put Shams on the trading block.” The clip quickly went viral, with fans tying it back to the earlier trade rumors.

However, Rivers claimed the joke was not received well. “I made a joke before All-Star where I said, ‘Giannis should trade Shams.’ Shams took that so personal that he actually called the Bucks and told them to take it down,” Rivers said. “The NBA called the Bucks and said, ‘Shams wants us to tell you this, but we really don’t care.’ And then the NBA posted it. I’ve heard from a lot of people that Shams is going to do a revenge article on you guys, and I was like, ‘okay, I don’t care.’”

Despite the back-and-forth, Rivers downplayed any long-term impact, noting that his focus remains on the team and Giannis’ situation. With the Bucks nearing the end of a difficult season and Giannis still sidelined, the priority remains resolving his availability and moving forward, even as the surrounding narrative continues to draw attention.