NBA Star Damian Lillard Is out Indefinitely Due to a Blood Clot in His Calf

As the Milwaukee Bucks continue to fight for playoff seeding, they have received some devastating news. Damian Lillard, who joined the team in 2024, is going to be out indefinitely. Naturally, many are wondering what happened to Dame, and whether there's any timeline on when he'll return.

Dame would be key to any playoff push that the team might make this year, but Bucks fans are despairing over the uncertainty of the prognosis. Here's what we know.

Dame was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, which means that a blood clot was found in his right calf. The diagnosis is set to sideline him indefinitely, and he is currently on blood thinners that have stabilized his condition. He also underwent a series of meetings with specialists over the past few days in order to diagnose the condition. No timeline has been offered as to when he might be able to play again.

"Damian's health is our No. 1 priority," Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a 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."

Dame has been on the bench for the Bucks' past three games because of what was being described as a calf strain, and he also sat out in December with an injury to the same leg.

He has been part of the highest-scoring duo in the NBA this season, and the Bucks can ill afford to lose him as they fight for seeding in the middle of the Eastern Conference.

Now, Giannis Antetokounmpo will have to shoulder the team's playoff hopes without a second star alongside him.

This is the second year in a row that the team has been dealing with significant injuries during the playoffs. Last year, Giannis sat out the team's entire first-round series, and Dame only played in four of the team's six games. Now, the team looks to be shorthanded once again heading into the postseason.

The news that Dame's season would be cut short comes just a month after the San Antonio Spurs announced that their star player, Victor Wembanyama, would be sidelined because of a clot of his own. Victor's clot was in his right shoulder.

Left untreated, these clots can become quite serious, so the good news in both cases is that the clot was detected early and treatment was allowed to start immediately. Given the nature of this diagnosis, it seems unlikely that Dame will play any more basketball this season, although the team did not say that they were shutting him down. Bucks fans will have to hope that Giannis can bring them a playoff miracle.