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Milwaukee Bucks superstar point guard Damian Lillard suffered a torn left Achilles tendon during Sunday night's 129-103 loss in Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers and will be out indefinitely, according to Shams Charania of ESPN. An MRI taken on Monday confirmed Lillard's Achilles rupture.
While walking backwards down the court to get in a defensive position, Lillard quickly shifted all of his weight and pushed off his left leg to try and grab a long rebound that was coming his way. Immediately after planting, his leg gave out under him, and Lillard collapsed to the ground with a non-contact injury.
Damian Lillard had to be helped to the locker room after suffering an apparent injury against the Pacers 🙏
(via @LilySZhao)pic.twitter.com/Dh7JEagyyi
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 28, 2025
Although Lillard was able to tip the ball to one of his teammates, he grabbed at the back of his lower left leg while on the ground in obvious pain. The nine-time All-Star's look said it all, as he knew this was a significant injury as he sat up. Lillard was helped off the court by members of the Bucks' staff and didn't put any weight on his left leg.
Minutes later after going to the locker room, the Bucks ruled Lillard out with what the team said was a left lower leg injury.
Impact of Damian Lillard's injury
The entire Bucks organization is at a loss for words due to this injury. Head coach Doc Rivers explained why this is a devastating loss for the franchise outside of what Lillard brings to them on the court.
“My brain right now is right in the same place as the players, and that's thinking about Dame,” Rivers told reporters after the game. “That's just a human part of the job. That's really no fun. It really isn't. You know, it's just tough.
“He's just such a great freaking dude, like, on a basketball level, but more important, as a teammate and a father and all that stuff. And you know, no one deserves it, but golly, you just look at him. And so that's why I feel bad. It's just tough.”
Lillard was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf in March and he missed nearly a month's worth of action as a result. After being closely monitored while on blood-thinning medications, Lillard and the medical staff were able to stabilize and resolve the issue.
However, after being cleared for full basketball activities and workouts, Lillard only had about a week's worth of conditioning and strengthening behind him before he stepped foot on the court for Game 2 against the Pacers.
While it is unknown if rushing to get back on the court for the playoffs caused this Achilles injury on the opposite leg, many around the league feel as though Dame's injury was a product of his conditioning levels.
Lillard left Fiserv Forum on Sunday night in a walking boot and with crutches.
“A lot of people don't see what Dame had to deal with, but I've been around him every single day and it's hard,” Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo stated. “It's hard being in his position, but he's one of the toughest, mentally toughest guys I've ever been around and that's why he is who he is and I think he's going to overcome every obstacle that's going to be in front of him.
“Everybody's going to be there for him. No matter what the obstacle is for him, he's going to overcome and we're going to help him overcome.”
Lillard, 34, now faces an uphill battle to remain one of the best scorers in the league at this stage of his career. The veteran guard will turn 35 in July, and it is unlikely that he would make his return during the 2025-26 regular season. He is set to make $54.1 million next season, and he owns a $58.4 million player option for the 2026-27 season.
In 58 games, Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 7.1 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game while shooting 44.8 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from 3-point range. This season marked the third straight Lillard has failed to eclipse 58 games played in.
The Bucks have fallen behind 3-1 in their first-round series for the third consecutive season. They will be eliminated with a loss to the Pacers in Game 5 on Tuesday.
