Milwaukee Bucks All-Star guard Damian Lillard has been cleared of his deep vein thrombosis and is no longer on blood-thinning medications, according to sources who spoke to ESPN’s Shams Charania. On March 26th, Lillard was ruled out indefinitely due to a blood clot in his right calf, which forced him to miss the last 14 games of the regular season.
Lillard is still not expected to play in the first game of the Milwaukee Bucks’ playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, which is scheduled to begin this Saturday. However, sources told The Athletic’s Sam Amick that Lillard is practicing today, which is “a very positive sign.”
Remarkable and historic development to clear from the blood clot in just over 3 weeks. Doctors have told Bucks officials this recovery has never been seen before – but occurred due to early treatment, detection, and specialists working on Lillard even before formal diagnosis. https://t.co/1AOqon1Ahm
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 17, 2025
A nine-time All-Star, Lillard was the Bucks’ second-best scorer behind former NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Also, Lillard led the Bucks in assists this season, with 7.1 per game.
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NBA fans can breathe a sigh of relief
It doesn’t matter if you’re a Bucks fan, a Pacers fan, or a fan of any other team. This is excellent news. A deep vein thrombosis can be life-threatening! The fact that Damian Lillard got rid of it and has resumed basketball activity is “amazing”, as Shams Charania described it.
Back when Lillard was first diagnosed with a DVT, there was a major amount of concern surrounding his status for the playoffs, but more importantly, his health and the health of other NBA players. After all, Lillard was the second superstar this season to be diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis after San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was shut down for the remainder of this season when a blood clot was discovered in his right shoulder in February.
UPDATE: Damian Lillard has been cleared for full basketball activity as the deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in his right calf has resolved and he is no longer on blood-thinning medication.
“We’re thrilled for Dame,” said Bucks General Manager Jon Horst. “Our priority has always been…
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) April 17, 2025
After all of those negative sentiments, we are hearing that Lillard made a “remarkable and historic” recovery by getting rid of the blood clot in a little over three weeks. Some of the credit for this speedy recovery obviously has to go to Damian Lillard, who showed an immense amount of mental and physical fortitude. But, as Shams Charania explained, the Bucks organization aided in Lillard’s recovery due to early treatment and detection. Lastly, we should all be singing the praises of the unnamed doctors who helped Lillard throughout this treacherous journey.
Regardless of who deserves the credit, it is a medical miracle and a huge relief that Damian Lillard is once again healthy. This is a good sign of things to come and maybe could provide some insight into Victor Wembanyama’s recovery process. Wemby should reach out to Dame in the off-season to get as much advice as possible so that he can come back better and stronger next season.
A new favorite in the series?
I had always thought that the Milwaukee Bucks had a good shot to beat the Indiana Pacers, even if they had to do it without Damian Lillard. Part of my reasoning has to do with Giannis, who has career averages of 24.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists against Indy. More recently, though, he has been even better. Over the last five years, Giannis Antetokounmpo has played in 17 regular-season matchups against the Pacers. In those games, he averages 35.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 6.6 assists. I always knew the Greek Freak had it in him to carry a team in the playoffs. This is the guy who averaged 35.2 points per game in the NBA Finals.
My biggest concern regarding the Bucks had to do with where they would find supplemental scoring. I thought it would have had to have come from Kevin Porter Jr., Bobby Portis Jr., or Kyle Kuzma. I still think those guys will have to be sharp in the postseason, but they won’t have to be the second-best player on the team if Dame can play in this series.
League sources confirm, with @eric_nehm, that the Bucks’ Damian Lillard has been cleared of deep vein thrombosis and is off of blood thinners. Lillard also played three-on-three yesterday, then was re-tested today. He’s out for Game 1, with no clarity from there regarding Game 2… https://t.co/17g0NNk837
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) April 17, 2025
If we take into consideration the fact that Dame began practicing today, I hypothesize that he’ll need about five to seven days to be game-ready. Obviously, I’m not a doctor, but if we follow that timeline, Lillard could be available for Game Three on April 25th. Then again, he could come back even earlier depending on how quickly his health progresses.
If Lillard can’t go until Game Three, then I think the Bucks have to win one of the first two contests in this series. That little bit of cushioning will take some pressure off Dame and allow him to ease his way back into the lineup. If Milwaukee goes down 0-2 to the Pacers, then I can almost guarantee Lillard will come back for Game Three. However, if they win one of the first two games, they can maybe wait to bring Dame back for Game Four.
Either way, I think the complexion of this series has changed. Though the Pacers were favored going into this one, I think that the Bucks should be the favorites if Damian Lillard can compete in most of the games in this series.
