Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard has been diagnosed with a torn left Achilles tendon, confirming the team’s worst fears after he was helped off the court during Sunday’s Game 4 loss to the Indiana Pacers. The Bucks announced the results of Lillard’s MRI on Monday, effectively ending his postseason and placing his availability for next season in serious jeopardy.
The injury compounds a rough stretch for Milwaukee, who now trail the Pacers 3-1 in their Eastern Conference first-round series. Lillard, 34, had recently returned to action after missing 14 regular-season games due to deep vein thrombosis in his right calf and had just been cleared to play off blood-thinners.
Bucks head coach Doc Rivers called the injury “tough” and praised Lillard’s resilience, noting the difficult year he has faced with multiple health issues. “That’s why you have teammates and family around him,” Rivers said.
Lillard suffered the injury midway through the first quarter Sunday while trying to tip a loose ball to a teammate. After grabbing at his lower leg, he was unable to put weight on it and had to be helped off the floor.
Lillard, a seven-time All-NBA selection and 10-time All-Star, averaged 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game this season. His toughness had already been on display by returning to the playoffs after his clot diagnosis—a condition doctors told him was rare for its presentation and recovery pattern.
His absence continues a string of ill-timed injuries for the Bucks in recent playoffs, following Khris Middleton’s MCL sprain in 2022 and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s back injury in 2023.
Despite the setback, Lillard’s teammates, including Antetokounmpo, expressed strong confidence in his ability to recover and return. “No matter what the obstacle is for him, he’s going to overcome and we’re going to help him overcome it,” Antetokounmpo said.
Lillard now faces a long and challenging recovery process, with comparisons being made to Kevin Durant’s Achilles tear in 2019, which caused him to miss an entire season.
Source: Swifteradio.com
