Damian Lillard is out indefinitely, with the same condition that ended Victor Wembanayama‘s season.
The Milwaukee Bucks star has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf, the team announced Tuesday. Lillard is reportedly on blood-thinning medication that stabilized the blood clot and he will undergo regular testing.
The team did not provide a timeline for his return.
Bucks announce Damian Lillard out indefinitely with a blood clot in his right calf. He’s on blood thinning medication, and will continue with regular testing pic.twitter.com/O7MSTqvcMC
— Vincent Goodwill (@VinceGoodwill) March 26, 2025
Wembanyama was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder last month and pronounced out for the season. The history of athletes and DVT is erratic; some come back after a few months while others deal with much more significant issues, with the location of the blood clot being important.
The timeline of Lillard’s return is important, though, as the Bucks have only 11 games left in the regular season, with the first round of the NBA playoffs set to begin April 19. With a record of 40-31, Milwaukee currently holds the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.
Lillard last played on March 18, missing the three games since with what was described as a right calf strain. On Monday, he described the issue as “just the normal soreness.”
At 34 years old, Lillard is finishing up his 13th NBA season and second with the Bucks. The team is 32-26 when he plays and 8-5 when he doesn’t. Most of his numbers are slightly up from last season, a turbulent campaign in which the team swapped out head coach Adrian Griffin for Doc Rivers midseason, but the Bucks have still looked a step behind the East’s contenders for much of the season.
Losing Lillard obviously won’t help there, and it’s hard to believe the team can make much of a run without a miraculous comeback in the next month or so.
