Not long after making his return to the court in Game 2 of his team's playoff series vs. the Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks point guard Damian Lillard could very well find himself back on the sidelines again.
Dame went down early with a noncontact injury in Game 4 on Sunday night and did not return to the action after retiring to the locker room. Now, NBA insider Chris Haynes is reporting that it could be an Achilles injury (specifically a tear), though official word has yet to be passed down.
If it is his Achilles, it would prove an extremely brutal turn of events for the 34-year-old Lillard, who just battled back from a bout of deep vein thrombosis to make an appearance in the playoffs.
Given the year he's had, the entire NBA world was quick to chime in with well wishes for the star guard, whom the Bucks will deeply miss should they somehow battle back from a now two-game deficit in their first-round series. (The Pacers lead 3-1 after winning 129–103 on Sunday.)
Take a look at that reaction, which includes messages from a couple of fellow NBA stars, below:
Prayers up Dolla
— Josh Hart (@joshhart) April 28, 2025
🙏🏽😞 Pray for Dame man !!!
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) April 28, 2025
Truly awful news. Dame is one of the most fun players to watch this era. This sucks. https://t.co/BrTvkvDMcg
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) April 28, 2025
Damian Lillard. 🙏
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 28, 2025
I absolutely hate how this part of Damian Lillard’s career is unfolding.
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) April 28, 2025
Battled all the way back to be available for this First Round series. Heartbreaker. Prayers up for Damian Lillard. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/4cHfIjHkVz
— theScore (@theScore) April 28, 2025
This is heartbreaking https://t.co/Mwc8dB2WsU
— 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒆 🌩 (@Three_Cone) April 28, 2025
— Jamie Hudson (@JamieHudsonKOIN) April 28, 2025
Dame knew. He just sat there. pic.twitter.com/hoy1w8Y4TD
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) April 28, 2025
Dame leaves the game with an apparent injury
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 28, 2025
Hope he's okay 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ak4Ia59nL9
💔💔💔 pic.twitter.com/g3yVtC8vbJ
— DameMuse (@Dame3Muse) April 28, 2025
Lillard had two rebounds and two assists in the six minutes he played on Sunday night. Whatever went down, we're hoping he's okay.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA World Reacts to Damian Lillard's Possible Achilles Injury During Bucks-Pacers.
