Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, otherwise known as a blood clot, in his right calf.

The team announced the nine-time NBA All-Star is out indefinitely.

Milwaukee Bucks: Damian Lillard has sustained a deep vein thrombosis (blood clot) in his right calf. Lillard is on blood-thinning medication, which has stabilized the blood clot, and will continue with regular testing. He is out indefinite period. pic.twitter.com/CC7k9bXnZV

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 26, 2025

Per ESPN:

Lillard, 34, is on a blood-thinning medication, which has stabilized the clot, according to the team. He went through a series of meetings with specialists over the past several days to diagnose the blood clot, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania. He has been on blood thinners for a period of time now.

“Damian’s health is our No. 1 priority,” Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a statement. “We will support him as he moves through this weekly process of strict criteria to ensure that it is safe for him to return to play. Doctors have indicated that his situation is very unlikely to occur again. We are thankful that this was identified and medicated quickly, which helps with the recovery.”

The San Antonio Spurs shut down star big Victor Wembanyama in February after he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

Lillard had sat out Milwaukee’s past three games with what was called a calf strain at the time, but coach Doc Rivers indicated before Monday’s game that Lillard was not improving. He was also sidelined for 10 days in December because of an injury to the same calf.

First Victor Wembanyama was diagnosed with a blood clot (deep vein thrombosis) and now Damian Lillard.

He will be placed on blood thinners for at least 3 months, and as a result this will end his season.

That’s 2 season-ending injuries to top NBA players due to blood clots in… https://t.co/0ul5n5Ondf

— Jesse Morse, M.D. (@DrJesseMorse) March 26, 2025

Lillard said in September 2021 that he received the experimental COVID-19 shot.

“If it’s a way to protect myself & the people that I love, I’m gonna do it. It’s pretty simple,” Lillard said while playing with the Portland Trail Blazers.

WATCH:

"If it's a way to protect myself & the people that I love, I'm gonna do it. It's pretty simple" – @dame_lillard on receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. pic.twitter.com/hkgOxcXn52

— Portland Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) September 28, 2021

From OregonLive in 2021:

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard said during Monday’s media day that when the team approached him about getting vaccinated to protect him against COVID-19 he immediately thought about his entire family.

“They presented the opportunity and I said, ‘Can I bring my family, too?’” Lillard said. “And they said, ‘yeah,’ and that was it.”

While most of the league’s players are vaccinated, according to reports, some have refused for personal reasons. Blazers guard CJ McCollum, president of the NBA Players Association, tweeted that 90% of the league is vaccinated. The Blazers announced that their entire roster and staff are vaccinated. Those players around the league who are not vaccinated could be in danger of not being allowed to play games in certain cities.

“I’m not mad at people for saying, ‘I need to do my research,’ or they got to take the steps that make them comfortable,” Lillard said. “But I have a lot of people in my family that I’m tight with and I spend a lot of time around and I’m just not going to put their health or their lives in danger because I want to do research. As a kid, I had to get shots my whole life. Before I went to college, I had to get shots. And, I couldn’t tell you one thing about any of them.”