Bucks' Damian Lillard Posts 'To Be Continued...' With IG Photos After Achilles Injury

Damian Lillard's season officially ended on Monday—and his 2025-26 season is now in jeopardy as well—after the Milwaukee Bucks announced that he tore his left Achilles tendon and will undergo surgery.

"Appreciate all the prayers and well wishes," Lillard wrote on Instagram after the news broke. "This one really hurt... HIS way not MY way. To Be Continued..."

Lillard suffered the injury during Milwaukee's Game 4 loss against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday and had to be helped off the court and into the locker room.

The injury came in just his third game back from a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis in his right leg, which cost him the final month of the regular season. Lillard made a remarkable recovery from that diagnosis, only to suffer an injury that could keep him shelved for all of next season. And at the age of 34, there are real questions whether he'll ever fully regain the burst and agility that have been hallmarks of his game, especially given the nature of this injury.

"He's one of the toughest—mentally toughest—guys I've ever been around, and that's why he is who he is," Giannis Antetokounmpo told reporters after Sunday's game. "And I believe he's going to overcome every obstacle that's going to be in front of him. Everybody's going to be there for him, and no matter what the obstacle is for him, he's going to overcome and we're going to help him overcome it."

The cruel reality in Milwaukee is that Lillard's catastrophic injury, and lengthy recovery, threatens to waste another year of the 30-year-old Antetokounmpo's prime. If the Pacers hold on to defeat the Bucks in the first round—and that seems likely, given that Indiana holds a 3-1 lead in the matchup—Milwaukee will have gone three straight seasons without winning a playoff series.

Even with a healthy Lillard, there are questions about whether the Bucks are on the same level as the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference. And now they'll head into the summer knowing Lillard could miss all of next season while Brook Lopez, Taurean Prince and Gary Trent Jr. are unrestricted free agents and Bobby Portis and Kevin Porter Jr. could join them if they decline their player options. Plus, the Bucks already have $133.7 million tied up in salary to just Giannis, Dame and Kyle Kuzma.

Suddenly, there are very real questions about how the Bucks will surround the Greek Freak with a championship-level supporting cast. Or whether they'll do the previously unthinkable and entertain trade offers for him this offseason.

Tough questions are waiting in the weeds for these Bucks. Lillard's injury was potentially devastating on multiple fronts.