Nearly a month after suffering a devastating Achilles injury, Milwaukee Bucks star point guard Damian Lillard offered fans insight into the early stages of his offseason recovery.
Lillard suffered a torn left Achilles tendon early in Game 4 of Milwaukee’s five-game first-round playoff series loss to the Indiana Pacers. His diagnosis was confirmed on April 28, cutting his postseason run short and likely derailing the Bucks’ hopes of contending during the 2025-26 campaign.
The nine-time All-Star is expected to miss most, if not all, of next season. Meanwhile, given his age (34), many are concerned he will never return to his regular high-impact self, potentially leaving Milwaukee at a crossroads.
Nevertheless, based on his recent Instagram activity, Lillard appears to be taking his recovery process in stride.
Damian Lillard Posts Offseason Snaps Amid Achilles Rehab
On Monday, Lillard uploaded a carousel post featuring photos of himself on and off the court, including a few in Bucks practice gear. He simply captioned it with a crossed fingers emoji.
In one photo, he can be seen linking up with Boston Celtics superstar forward Jayson Tatum.
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Tatum is in a similar boat to Lillard, having undergone surgery to repair a torn right Achilles tendon on May 13. The 2024 NBA champion suffered the injury late in Game 4 of Boston’s six-game second-round series loss to the New York Knicks, crippling his squad’s title repeat bid.
As such, the two have comparable return timelines and appear to be supporting one another despite playing for Eastern Conference rivals. Tatum took to his Instagram stories on Monday to react to Lillard’s post, captioning it, “My dawg,” alongside two crossed fingers emojis.
Jayson Tatum reacts to Damian Lillard’s new Instagram post.
Both of them tore their achilles this postseason. pic.twitter.com/eubCrDqBVM
— CelticsUnite (@CelticsUnite18) May 27, 2025
With Lillard and Tatum both out of commission for the foreseeable future, the East projects to be wide open next year.
Across 58 outings this season, Lillard averaged 24.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.4 3-pointers per game, shooting 44.8%.
Lillard Enjoying Family Time Amid Achilles Recovery
In addition to his recovery efforts, Lillard appears to be relishing spending quality time with his daughter, Kali, early in the offseason.
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In another Monday Instagram post, the seven-time All-NBA selectee shared several photos of them together, including at Sunday’s Las Vegas Aces versus Seattle Storm game at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.
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“Also part of rehab… ❤️🤞🏾(and her GOD mom is a HOFer),” Lillard wrote. Thus, Lillard appears to be keeping busy as he works his way back to game action.
