MILWAUKEE (AP) 鈥 Damian Lillard has a torn left Achilles tendon, confirming the Milwaukee Bucks鈥 worst fears after the seven-time all-NBA guard was helped off the court Sunday night.
The Bucks announced the severity of Lillard’s injury after he had an MRI on Monday.
The injury knocks Lillard out for the rest of the postseason and could put his status for next season in doubt as well. When Kevin Durant tore his in the 2019 NBA Finals, he ended up missing the entire 2019-20 season.
鈥淎ppreciate all the prayers and well wishes,鈥 Lillard said Monday in an 鈥淭his one really hurt... HIS way not MY way. To be continued ...鈥
The Bucks had been bracing for this outcome after Milwaukee鈥檚 to the Indiana Pacers in Game 4. Milwaukee trails the Indiana Pacers 3-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series. Game 5 is Tuesday at Indianapolis.
occurred in his third game since from deep vein thrombosis in his right calf.
鈥淭his is a tough one, honestly,鈥 Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after Sunday鈥檚 game. 鈥淏lood clot, followed by this. It鈥檚 just tough. That鈥檚 why you have teammates and family around him. He鈥檚 just such a great freaking dude, on a basketball level, but more importantly as a teammate and a father and all that stuff.鈥
Lillard, 34, was behind the 3-point line around the top of the key midway through the first quarter when the ball bounced toward him. Lillard used his left hand to tip the ball toward teammate Gary Trent Jr., then went down and grabbed the lower part of his left leg. He continued to sit on the floor as play resumed on the other end of the court.
When Lillard got up, he couldn鈥檛 put weight on his left leg. He eventually was helped off the court and into the locker room.
鈥淗e鈥檚 one of the toughest guys I know, so when he stays down, you feel for him,鈥 said teammate Pat Connaughton, who played with Lillard in Portland and Milwaukee.
Lillard’s toughness had been apparent from the fact that he was playing in the first place after missing the Bucks鈥 final 14 regular-season games with an abnormal clot within a vessel where the congealing of blood blocks the flow through on the way back to the heart.
He was taken off blood-thinning medication and cleared to resume full basketball activity after the regular season. He missed Game 1 of the Pacers series to work his way back and then returned in Game 2.
鈥淚 have so much respect for him,鈥 teammate and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said. 鈥淎 lot of people don鈥檛 see what Dame had to deal with, but we鈥檙e around him every single day, and it鈥檚 hard. It鈥檚 hard being in his position. He鈥檚 one of the toughest, mentally toughest guys I鈥檝e ever been around. That鈥檚 why he is who he is.鈥
Lillard ranked 10th in the NBA in scoring (24.9) and 10th in assists (7.1) this season while earning his 10th All-Star Game selection. He made an extraordinarily from his deep vein thrombosis to rejoin his teammates for the playoffs.
While talking to reporters before the playoffs, Lillard said doctors had told him his case was unusual.
鈥淭hey were just like, 鈥榃e don鈥檛 see this,鈥” Lillard said then. 鈥淔or me, I was just like, it was a different experience for me because I went in there a bunch of times and it was the same size. So I鈥檓 like, it didn鈥檛 seem that special, and then it just reached a point where it just got a lot smaller out of nowhere.鈥
Now he faces an even longer recovery while dealing with a separate issue requiring surgery.
鈥淚 believe he鈥檚 going to overcome every obstacle that鈥檚 put in front of him,鈥 Antetokounmpo said. 鈥淓verybody鈥檚 going to be there for him. No matter what the obstacle is for him, he鈥檚 going to overcome and we鈥檙e going to help him overcome it.鈥
Lillard’s situation continues the Bucks’ run of bad luck with postseason injuries since winning their
missed an entire seven-game to Boston in 2022 with a sprained medial collateral ligament. Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee鈥檚 first playoff game in 2023 and didn鈥檛 return until Game 4 of a first-round series to Miami. In the Bucks鈥 to Indiana last year, at all because of a calf strain, and Lillard missed two games with an Achilles injury.
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