Bucks confirm Damian Lillard has a torn left Achilles' tendon
'Appreciate all the prayers and well wishes,' Lillard said Monday in an Instagram post. 'This one really hurt... HIS way not MY way. To be continued ...'
The Bucks had been bracing for this outcome after
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Lillard's injury occurred in his third game since
Advertisement
'This is a tough one, honestly,' Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after Sunday's game. 'Blood clot, followed by this. It's just tough. That's why you have teammates and family around him. He's just such a great freaking dude, on a basketball level, but more importantly as a teammate and a father and all that stuff.'
Lillard, 34, was behind the 3-point line around the top of the key midway through the first quarter when the ball bounced toward him. Lillard used his left hand to tip the ball toward teammate Gary Trent Jr., then went down and grabbed the lower part of his left leg. He continued to sit on the floor as play resumed on the other end of the court.
Advertisement
When Lillard got up, he couldn't put weight on his left leg. He eventually was helped off the court and into the locker room.
'He's one of the toughest guys I know, so when he stays down, you feel for him,' said teammate Pat Connaughton, who played with Lillard in Portland and Milwaukee.
The Bucks' Damian Lillard is helped off the floor after tearing his Achilles' tendon during the first quarter of Game 4 of a first-round series against the Pacers.
Jeffrey Phelps/Associated Press
Lillard's toughness had been apparent from the fact that he was playing in the first place after missing the Bucks' final 14 regular-season games with deep vein thrombosis, an abnormal clot within a vessel where the congealing of blood blocks the flow through on the way back to the heart.
He was taken off blood-thinning medication and cleared to resume full basketball activity after the regular season. He missed Game 1 of the Pacers series to work his way back and then returned in Game 2.
'I have so much respect for him,' teammate and two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said. 'A lot of people don't see what Dame had to deal with, but we're around him every single day, and it's hard. It's hard being in his position. He's one of the toughest, mentally toughest guys I've ever been around. That's why he is who he is.'
Lillard ranked 10th in the NBA in scoring (24.9) and 10th in assists (7.1) this season while earning his 10th All-Star Game selection. He made an extraordinarily rapid return from his deep vein thrombosis to rejoin his teammates for the playoffs.
Advertisement
While talking to reporters before the playoffs, Lillard said doctors had told him his case was unusual.
'They were just like, 'We don't see this,' ' Lillard said then. 'For me, I was just like, it was a different experience for me because I went in there a bunch of times and it was the same size. So I'm like, it didn't seem that special, and then it just reached a point where it just got a lot smaller out of nowhere.'
Now he faces an even longer recovery while dealing with a separate issue requiring surgery.
'I believe he's going to overcome every obstacle that's put in front of him,' Antetokounmpo said. 'Everybody's going to be there for him. No matter what the obstacle is for him, he's going to overcome and we're going to help him overcome it.'
Lillard's situation continues the Bucks' run of bad luck with postseason injuries since winning their
Khris Middleton missed an entire seven-game Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the Celtics in 2022 with a sprained medial collateral ligament. Antetokounmpo bruised his lower back in Milwaukee's first playoff game in 2023 and didn't return until Game 4 of a first-round series it lost 4-1 to Miami. In the Bucks' 4-2 first-round loss to the Pacers last year,
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
24 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
The Red Sox and Yankees went down different roads, and the rivalry has suffered for it
The Yankees are a legitimate contender to return to the World Series. At this point the Red Sox would do well to finish 81-81 for a second consecutive season. Sure, the Red Sox have had to deal with some significant injuries. Triston Casas is Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Related : Advertisement The most significant injury was the loss of Alex Bregman to a quad strain, although his timeline appears to be better than was first thought. But the Yankees lost Juan Soto to the Mets in free agency then learned at the start of spring training that Gerrit Cole They haven't had Giancarlo Stanton all season because of inflammation in both elbows. Righthander Luis Gil, the American League Rookie of the Year in 2024, has been out all year with a lat strain. The Yankees had far more significant losses and have persevered. They have left the Red Sox behind. Advertisement Why? The Yankees are a sharply focused organization that has deftly blended a high payroll with a productive farm system. If they go on to win the American League East this season it would be for the third time in four years. It's a testament to stability. General manager Brian Cashman has been in charge of baseball operations since 1998. They've missed the playoffs five times in his tenure. The Sox have missed the playoffs five times since 2019. Cashman's chief lieutenants — Jean Afterman, Mike Fishman, Tim Naehring, Damon Oppenheimer, and Kevin Reese — have all been in the front office for at least 18 years. The Yankees have the requisite number of analysts, scientists, and researchers but Cashman also values the advice of former general managers Omar Minaya and Brian Sabean, who are on the payroll. Aaron Boone is the third manager since 1996. Joe Torre held the job for 12 years, Joe Girardi for 10 years, and now Boone is in his eighth season. The Red Sox thrived with chaos and change for a while. Terry Francona won two championships working with Theo Epstein during a long stretch together. Ben Cherington made the right hire at the right time when he picked John Farrell to manage the 2013 team. Dave Dombrowski hired Alex Cora to manage the 2018 team and they presided over a powerhouse. The years since have been a muddle. The Sox lowered payroll and hoped that Chaim Bloom and now Craig Breslow would build sustainable winner. It hasn't happened. There's been only endless roster churn since and plans gone awry. It's incumbent on teams to get creative when building a roster and take some chances. Breslow tried that by signing Lucas Giolito, Liam Hendriks, and Advertisement The result so far has been minus-0.7 bWAR and an overworked bullpen. Boone said the necessary things before the He was being diplomatic. Until the Red Sox prove otherwise, they're at a level below the Yankees and the rivalry is more history than a happening these days. Peter Abraham can be reached at
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Athletes Unlimited Softball League opens with high hopes and support from MLB and USA Softball
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Athletes Unlimited Softball League made its debut after a year of buildup and a recent collaboration with Major League Baseball. The Bandits beat the Talons 3-1 in the first game Saturday in Rosemont, Illinois. The Volts were set to play the Blaze in Wichita, Kansas later in the day. 'I kind of feel like we blinked and it was here,' Cat Osterman, general manager of the Volts, said. 'But then there were moments where it felt like we weren't ever going to get here either because it took a whole year of process. We're all excited.' Athletes Unlimited has featured softball since 2020, when it unveiled a unique format that crowned an individual champion. The organization that focuses exclusively on women's sports now has launched a traditional four-team softball league in a traveling format. The Blaze, Volts, Bandits and Talons will play 24 games each, touring to 12 cities. The top two teams will compete in the best-of-three AUSL Championship from July 26-28 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. MLB said last month that it is making a strategic investment in the league . It will include an undisclosed amount for operational costs and a commitment to help it gain visibility. It will market the AUSL and its athletes during its All-Star Game, throughout the postseason and during broadcasts on the MLB Network and streams on . USA Softball executive director Craig Cress likes the fact that a league with MLB's backing exists for players to join after their college careers. He sees it as an opportunity to keep the top American players facing elite competition so Team USA will be ready for Olympic softball that will be played in Oklahoma City in 2028. Japan has won the past two Olympic gold medals in the sport. Cress said he hopes the AUSL emerges as something comparable to Japan's well-established softball leagues. 'We have a great respect and a great rivalry,' Cress said of the history with Japan. 'But this Olympics on our home soil is our gold medal. We need to go get it. So from that standpoint, I know we've got a long way to go, but that's the end goal.' Cress said it was smart for Athletes Unlimited to add former MLB executive Kim Ng as commissioner and to seek out the league as a partner. He hopes the AUSL can catch fire the way the WNBA has the past two years with Caitlin Clark. 'The WNBA is now starting to really do some things with the star power they have coming in,' he said. 'But what got them to the point to be able to keep their athletes from going overseas to play? It was the involvement of the NBA.' There are indicators that this league could last longer than those that have come and gone over the years, starting with the well-structured support system, stability and the experience Athletes Unlimited had with the sport before launching this league. 'I think that one thing you hear about Athletes Unlimited from anybody that's been around it is we've done what we said we were going to do,' Athletes Unlimited co-founder Jon Patricof said. 'We've been around now for five years.' Bri Ellis, who was named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year for Arkansas this season, played for the Talons on Saturday after being the No. 2 overall pick in the AUSL draft last month. She said she's thrilled about the timing of the league's rollout. 'It was kind of this relief that I don't have to be done now,' she said. 'I can keep going and keep playing and there's still a story to be written for me in my career, and so I'm just really grateful for everyone that's come before me and has worked their tails off to get the sport to where it is now.' ___ AP sports: Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Indianapolis Star
an hour ago
- Indianapolis Star
One phone call brought Haliburton, Siakam together, turned the Pacers into a contender.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Outside of a handful of interactions in summer workouts, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton didn't know Pascal Siakam very well, when he learned Indiana might trade for the Toronto All-Star a year ago January. Haliburton and Siakam had exchanged pleasantries at Rico Runs — the well-known UCLA-based summer pickup games organized by longtime NBA assistant Rico Hines — but otherwise the pair hadn't often crossed paths. Now, with his front office considering a move to pair him with Siakam, Indiana's emerging franchise face thought it would be a good idea for the two to connect. Stepping out of a dinner during the team's mid-January swing through Atlanta last season, Haliburton talked with Siakam for roughly an hour. That phone call provided the building blocks of a relationship that's anchored the Pacers' run to the NBA Finals 17 months later. Re-live the Pacers unbelievable run to the 2025 NBA Finals with IndyStar's commemorative book 'I wanted to have a conversation, 'Hey, is this something you actually you want to do? Do you want to be here?'' Haliburton said Saturday, recounting the conversation. 'Because I think that the guys who have been a part of the nucleus of this group, we cherish this organization and what we have been able to build here. I think every team, when you ultimately win a championship or play at a high level, there's a trade that happens or you bring in somebody from the outside to be a part of it and you don't want to make the wrong move, right. 'If you go in for Pascal, you want it to be about the right things.' In Siakam, the Pacers were looking for an high-caliber complementary piece to Haliburton. At that point a two-time All-Star, Siakam had also garnered All-NBA second- and third-team nods during his career, and won a title with Toronto in 2019. And in Indiana, Siakam saw the forming momentum of a franchise rallying around a superlative young point guard. The kind of creative ball handler who could score in bunches but create for teammates with equal ease. 'We had a great conversation, and I think we just very much so aligned on wanting to win and that being the emphasis,' Haliburton said. 'I told him that, 'Hey, we could really play well together. I think I could get you the ball in space and allow you to do what you do.' He preached that there's many things that he could do to help me succeed.' And so it's been in the year and a half since a three-team trade brought Siakam to Indianapolis. After re-signing with the Pacers on a four-year contract worth close to $190 million in July, Siakam turned in the third All-Star season of his career this winter. He led Indiana in points and rebounds per game, and thus far is doing the same in the playoffs. He even narrowly edged Haliburton for Eastern Conference finals MVP, after Indiana dispatched the Knicks in six games. Together, their adaptable skillsets embody a team whose versatility has become one of its greatest strengths. These Pacers can play big or small, defend well, run the floor and find their offense all over it. Trading for Haliburton handed Indiana a franchise cornerstone around which it could build a winner. Siakam became the final, crucial piece to that puzzle. Together, they have positioned the Pacers as an NBA title contender for the first time in a quarter century, all of it starting with one forthright phone call between two men crucial to making it possible. 'The biggest thing that I can respect about him is just his work ethic,' Haliburton said. 'He comes in the gym, I know he's going to be there every day. I know the exact hoop he's going to be on, so I try not to take his hoop. I let him get his one-on-one work in. 'Seeing him work that hard makes me want to work harder, and I think that goes through our group. I love having him as a teammate.'
