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Damian Lillard's miraculous recovery from a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf was one of the best stories of this year's playoffs; it meant that Lillard's career was back on track and that the Milwaukee Bucks are going to be full strength in their playoff matchup against the Indiana Pacers. But in an unfortunate turn of events in Game 4 of their first-round series, Lillard succumbed to a non-contact lower leg injury that many fear is an Achilles tear.
An Achilles tear is one of the most serious injuries any professional athlete can face, and at 35 years of age, things are looking rather dicey for the Bucks star, who is now in grave danger of not just missing the entirety of the 2025-26 season, but also in danger of never returning to superstar form again.
Lillard is a beloved superstar in NBA circles, and this tragic injury he suffered has him garnering plenty of sympathy from the NBA community, with Trae Young being the most prominent player to extend his regards on social media.
“Pray for Dame man !!!” Young wrote on his official account on X (formerly Twitter).
The 35-year-old star guard has been a leader in the locker room in every stop of his, and he's most known for being one of the most consistent superstars in the league during his time with the Portland Trail Blazers. Two former teammates of his, Josh Hart and Anfernee Simons, also expressed their emotions in the aftermath of the Bucks star's serious-looking injury.
“Prayers up Dolla,” Hart wrote.
“F**k smh,” Simons added.
One major discussion on social media right now is what the injury to Lillard means for the Bucks and their long-term outlook. But for now, the hope is that Lillard didn't suffer too serious of an injury and that he makes as quick of a recovery as he can, for the game is in a better place when he's healthy and firing on all cylinders.
Bucks' playoff run is losing steam
As good of a player as Giannis Antetokounmpo is, depth and having plenty of playoff-viable rotation players is as important as ever in mounting a championship run. And with that, the Bucks might be toast in the aftermath of Damian Lillard's injury, as the Pacers now have them on the ropes, 3-1, in their first-round matchup.
There will be many questions asked of the Bucks; will they trade Antetokounmpo or not to get ahead of everything and start a rebuild?
