At first, it seemed like a normal play.
Damian Lillard was attempting to corral an offensive rebound off a missed Gary Trent Jr. three-pointer midway through the opening frame. But within seconds, the game — and perhaps the Milwaukee Bucks’ championship dreams — had irrevocably changed.
The Bucks’ worst fears came true as Lillard suffered a torn left Achilles and will miss the rest of 2025 playoffs.
Damian Lillard underwent an MRI today that revealed a torn left Achilles tendon. Lillard will miss the remainder of the 2025 playoffs and undergo surgery to repair the injury.
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 28, 2025
He exited early in Milwaukee’s 129-103 Game 3 loss, putting the team into a 1-3 hole against the four-seed Indiana Pacers in their East opening-round series.
It's another devastating blow for the 34-year-old guard, who just came back from a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf that caused him to miss the final 13 regular season games for the Bucks.
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“This is a tough one, honestly. Blood clot, followed by this. It’s just tough,” Milwaukee head coach Doc Rivers said in the post-game press conference of Game 4.
After missing the series opener, the nine-time All-Star returned in Game 2 and scored 14 points despite a 123-115 in a loss. Lillard only dropped seven markers and five assists in the next game, but Milwaukee cruised to a 117-101 home win.
With that, he took time to social media to pen a brief but heartfelt message with his fans after the devastating injury.“Appreciate all the prayers and well wishes. This one really hurt. HIS way not MY way. To be continued,” Lillard said.
Milwaukee aims to extend their season when they travel to Indiana to face the Pacers in Game 5 with the schedule yet to be determined.
