PHOENIX — Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard has been diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis (blood clots) in his right calf, the team announced in a statement Tuesday.
The team said Lillard has been put on blood-thinning medication and will continue to be tested regularly. Lillard is expected to be out indefinitely, but a league source told The Athletic that there is a great deal of optimism that he will return this season.
“Damian’s health is our No. 1 priority,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in the statement. “We will support him as he moves through this weekly process of strict criteria to ensure that it is safe for him to return to play. Doctors have indicated that his situation is very unlikely to occur again. We are thankful that this was identified and medicated quickly, which helps with the recovery.”
“It’s unfortunate that something outside of my control would come up,” Lillard said through a spokesman. “Along with the Bucks’ medical staff, our priorities are to protect my health and safety. As much as I love basketball, I need to be there for my kids and my family. I’m grateful the Bucks acted quickly on this. They’ve been supportive and proactive throughout this process. I look forward to moving past this and continuing my career.”
A nine-time All-Star, Lillard missed the last three games with right calf soreness, but further testing revealed a deep vein thrombosis.
According to a league source who was close to the situation, concern about the nature of Lillard’s injury escalated on Thursday. He missed his first game that night, in Los Angeles against the Lakers, and continued experiencing discomfort and pain beyond the typical calf strain. The source said Lillard had experienced similar symptoms in the past and wanted clarity on the cause.
A rigorous discovery process began from there, with Lillard eventually visiting with five of the top hematologists in the United States, either in person (including at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix on Tuesday) or via Zoom. Each of the specialists received his MRIs and sonograms as part of the process. Lillard began taking blood thinners on Friday, the source said, adding that there are encouraging signs that the treatment is working well.
In 58 games, Lillard averaged 24.9 points (15th in NBA) and 7.1 assists (13th in NBA) per game this season. Lillard has also added 4.7 rebounds per game and is second on the Bucks in total points and first in total assists. His numbers put him in the conversation for All-NBA consideration.
The discovery is a blow to the Bucks, who had pinned their postseason chances to the partnership of Lillard and two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. All season long, Bucks coach Doc Rivers championed the two-man game between Lillard and Antetokounmpo and also emphasized the importance of getting both of their superstars through the regular season healthy, even if it meant missing games for nagging injuries.
At the trade deadline, Horst decided to move Khris Middleton and a group of players outside of Rivers’ rotation for Kyle Kuzma, Kevin Porter Jr. and Jericho Sims and explained that the move was made to help maximize the Bucks’ superstar duo.
“I think that it’s more about, ‘How do we make the top two guys their best selves?’ And, ‘How does everyone else play their role around them?’” Horst explained following the trade. “Dame and Giannis should be able to be their best selves, and that really is our best chance to win.”
Now, without Lillard, the Bucks (40-31) risk falling out of the fifth spot in the Eastern Conference in their remaining 11 regular-season games and face steep odds heading into the postseason. With Middleton gone and Lillard sidelined, Antetokounmpo will be the lone All-Star on the roster trying to position the Bucks for postseason success.
Lillard’s blood clot diagnosis continues a horrible stretch of injuries that has limited the Bucks’ ability to chase postseason glory since the Bucks ended the franchise’s 50-year championship drought by winning the 2021 NBA title.
As the Bucks tried to repeat as NBA champions in the spring of 2022, Middleton lost his footing in Game 2 of the Bucks’ first-round series against the Chicago Bulls. He suffered a left MCL sprain that kept him out of the second-round series against the Boston Celtics, who eventually beat the Bucks in seven games.
In 2023, Miami Heat forward Kevin Love slid underneath Antetokounmpo to draw a charge in the first quarter of Game 1 of the Bucks’ first-round series. The lower back contusion Antetokounmpo suffered during the play kept him out a majority of the series and the Bucks lost to the Heat in five games.
In the 79th game of the Bucks’ 2023-24 campaign, Antetokounmpo suffered a left soleus (calf) strain against the Celtics. That injury forced him to miss the rest of the regular season and the Bucks’ first-round series against the Indiana Pacers. Lillard also struggled with his health, suffering a right Achilles injury that limited him throughout the series and forced him to miss games 4 and 5.
With Lillard out for an indefinite period, the Bucks and Antetokounmpo will be forced to work shorthanded for the time being to position themselves for the postseason and then try to make a deep playoff run.
(Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
