SI

Bucks’ Damian Lillard Suffers Season-Ending Achilles Tear, Will Miss Rest of Playoffs

The Bucks star suffered the injury during Sunday's Game 4 vs. the Pacers.

Madison Williams

Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard looks on during a playoff game.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard looks on during a playoff game. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
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Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard's season is officially over as he suffered a torn left Achilles tendon on Sunday during Game 4 of the team’s first-round series vs. the Indiana Pacers, ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Monday.

Lillard was helped off the court to the locker room in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 129-103 Bucks loss after he tumbled to the ground following a pass. He remained on the floor while the rest of the players ran to the other side of the court.

It was already a heartbreaking injury, but Bucks fans were especially upset for Lillard as he just missed a month of play due to a deep vein thrombosis in his right calf. He made his return for Game 2 of the current playoff series, and now he's dealing with an even more severe injury.

After Sunday's game, both teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo and coach Doc Rivers sent well wishes to Lillard as he now takes time to recover. It's unknown at this time what his status will be for the 2025-26 season.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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