Bucks' Damian Lillard to Miss Start of 2025 NBA Playoffs amid Blood Clot Recovery

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Damian Lillard will miss the start of the 2025 NBA playoffs, the team announced.

Milwaukee opens its first-round series with the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. ESPN's Shams Charania reported that team is optimistic Lillard can suit up "at some point" this postseason.

The 34-year-old was shut down indefinitely in late March after he was diagnosed with blood clots in his right calf, though Eric Nehm and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported at the time that "a league source [said] that there is a great deal of optimism that he will return this season."

"It's unfortunate that something outside of my control would come up," he said through a spokesman. "Along with the Bucks' medical staff, our priorities are to protect my health and safety. As much as I love basketball, I need to be there for my kids and my family. I'm grateful the Bucks acted quickly on this. They've been supportive and proactive throughout this process. I look forward to moving past this and continuing my career."

Lillard was averaging 24.9 points, 7.1 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game at the time of the diagnosis, shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three. While the Bucks struggled to keep pace with the top teams in the Eastern Conference from a record perspective, the hope was that they could make a deep run in the playoffs.

Time will tell if that is still on the table.